Heaven Is On The Way
by Angy
Summary: the whole season 5 re-written : now Ally is given the chance to confront Larry, so what's her choice ? Don't worry, they're going to make it ;) PLEASE READ, FIRST FIC !
1. what happened this summer ?

Hey everybody !! I'm definitely a fan of Ally and Larry and I think they deserved a better ending, that's why I'm writing this fiction. The prologue is there to sum up what happened during the summer break between the fourth and the fifth season. 

If you have any comments or suggestions, etc… just tell me what you think I could add. You can e-mail me at **angy.paradise@club-internet.fr**

Read and review J :)

Prologue

**30 August 2001**

Well guys, so much has happened during the summer break !! I've got to fill you in with what occurred for our favorites lawyers. In a way, things have changed at Cage & Fish, a few have left and others have remained in Boston . Of course, the office is still haunted by memories of the past year but everybody is trying to get a new start. Okay, let's catch up.

First off : Melanie. She's now completely out of the picture. She knew she had found true love in John but left anyway ( doesn't it remind you of anybody ?). The thought of living a few blocks away from the office of Cage & Fish was too hard to handle , so that when she was offered another post in New York, she didn't think twice about it and settled there. "He's better off without me" she kept telling herself. And months passing by, she started to believe it. She had turned the page and hoped he did the same.

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Speaking of John : the biscuit was heartbroken. Something he thought would never happen again when he first met Melanie. His only comfort was that he didn't feel guilty : he would have done anything to make it work with her, but she just couldn't trust it. It wasn't his fault. But why did he have that sensation of failure ? It was like in spite of all his efforts, everything would eventually come out wrong. He began to think he'd end up alone in the end. Ally's mood was definitely getting to him.

_In a little while from now, if I'm not feeling any less sour_

I promise myself to treat myself and visit that nearby tower 

_By climbing to the top,  will throw myself off_

_In an effort to make it clear to whoever_

_What it's like  when you're shattered_

_Left standing in the lurch at a church where people saying_

_"my God that's tough she stood him up, no point in us remaining._

_We may as well go home"_

_As I did on my own, alone again naturally._

_"Feeling sorry for myself isn't a solution, I have to make things move. Maybe a little trip  wouldn't hurt…I'll tell Richard about it"._ In fact, John did travel with Richard. They went back to L.A, mainly 'cause Jane was homesick. John saw there the opportunity to say hi to Cassandra. Unfortunately, she was involved with another man and it looked like she'd met her match. Back in Boston, John was back where he was before, except his sorrow cut deeper. His trip had changed his mood, just not as he expected. Late August, he got a call from the last person he thought would call him : Nelle Porter.

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Yes, Nelle. What about her ? In June, she took a three weeks vacation in Illinois to visit her family. It's funny how people who know you can see you through. And that's what happened to Nelle : her cousin felt her loneliness and a serious talk with her. Things came out…such as her grief over her break-up with John. Okay, she dumped him, furthermore while he was blocked in the elevator. She wasn't ready for the kind of relationship he was waiting for. But now, she'd thought about it and was willing to give their couple a second chance. What she deeply feared was that she might be the only one reconsidering them getting back together. After all, John had had an important thing going on with Melanie. She was pretty sure he wasn't over her yet. Anyway, back from her vacation she decided to call John early August : her life couldn't get worse, so it was worth the try. She was surprised to hear a yes at the end of the line : John would re-evaluate their relationship, he'd just some time to mourn his love for Melanie. Meanwhile, the would go out and catch with each other. The truth be told, they both needed to talk about their mutual feelings without the pressure of actually "being together". This has been going on for about a month.

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Money, money, money… No, it's not the title of one ABBA's song, it's just a Fishism. In July, Richard tended to forget it : for a whole month, he took care of somebody else : Jane. For once, he was letting love rule : Jane regretted L.A, the coldness haunting the office being the main reason. She didn't feel at her place, even if Richard was helping her feel more comfortable. At the end of his vacation with Jane, he took a step forward in their relationship : he asked her to move in…the apartment adjoining his. He would pay the rent, he just wanted to be near her. From this moment, Jane knew things were their way to get better. Her and Richard had been together for three month by now. She resigned her job as a secretary 'cause her main future plan was to keep on auditioning for theater roles.

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Ling never liked great competition. So that when she heard that Jane was staying in Boston, her pride was picked and she decided to move out. She left for San Francisco and there she found her former lover Randy (who was now married ,by the way). She had nothing to lose , no dignity and she broke the happy couple he and Lisa made. As far as Nelle's been told, she and Randy are back together. Ling thinks it might work, but Nelle sent her illusions flying away : "Ling, you've been with him for a month, do you really believe you will stay with him this time ? You were the one who dumped him years ago ! Let me remind you something : you're too chicken of commitment !" Her answer was quite simple : "Look who's talking !!" . But Ling didn't know about Nelle and John. She hadn't broke the news to her yet. Moreover Jane wasn't the only reason for Ling to leave : Jackson also had a part in it. Fed up with her games and not willing to play anymore, he considered leaving the firm…until Coretta came in the picture.

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Forgot that one, ya ? Boss-less ( because of a certain Larry Paul leaving Boston), Coretta was now looking for a job. It wasn't long before Ally suggested her to join Cage & Fish, since they were one lawyer-short. At the beginning of August, she was already settled in Ling 's office. By going in the unisex, she met Jackson for the first time and they immediately hit it off. Ally was quite septic : Coretta was now one of her close friend and she cared for her. According to Ally after what he did to Renee, Jackson wasn't the faithful type. Seeing Coretta that happy convinced her to stay out of it. Besides, she had more important to take care of : herself.

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To everyone's surprise, Ally gave the impression that she handled her pain over Larry's departure quite well. From the outside, she looked serene : the truth is , she was still absorbing the fact that Larry was gone. For good. She hadn't admitted to herself that he might never come back. And that's how she kept on living : clinging to her hope . "It's only been one month, less than when he went to see Sam." She said at the beginning. Late August, she started to fell more and more depressed. She even called in sick sometimes 'cause "she wasn't in the mood for working". Everything was tasteless, and the void created when Larry left grew bigger and bigger. She finally came to a realization : "he totally wrecked me." She felt like she had nothing left to give. Larry enlightened her world and suddenly left her in the dark with no support, alone with her sorrow. Deep inside of her, she felt empty.

_I am here to tell you we can never meet again_

_Simple really isn't it, a word or two and then_

_A lifetime of not knowing where or how  or why or when_

_You think of me or speak of me, or wonder what befell_

_The someone you once loved so long ago, so well…_

_Every moment of my life from now until I die_

_I will think or dream of you and fail to understand_

_How a perfect love can be confounded out of hand_

Once early August, she summoned the courage she had left and took the decision to go to Detroit. She had even bought her airplane ticket. But then, two days before the flight she freaked out, fearing the worst : she had that ominous and warning feeling that she would find Larry back with Jamie, something she couldn't take. 

_Is it written in the stars_

_Are we paying for some crime_

_Is that all that we are good for_

_Just a stretch of mortal time_

_Is this God's experiment in which we have no say_

_In which we're given paradise, but only for a day._

_You're all I'll ever want but this I am denying_

_Sometimes in my darkest thoughts I wish I never learned_

_Was it is to be in love and have that love returned_

After a while, she gave up and silently vowed that time would resolve things. So she resumed her daily routine, though Larry was a big part of it. Thanks to Coretta and John, who made it easier. They were always there to listen to her, yet something was bothering her : Renee 's health.

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In fact, for about six months, Renee had been taking all sorts of pills against  stress and pressure. She often couldn't sleep and she also took pills for that. At first it didn't catch Ally's attention, but one day in August, everything fell into pieces. Ally had just gotten back from work and she  found that Renee was already at the apartment unusually early. She was laying on the couch, very pale and sweating. Renee said she was running a temp, that it was nothing important. When Ally insisted on knowing what was really going on, she kept avoiding the subject .She became verbally abusive and slammed behind her the door of her bedroom. Ally was dumbfounded : Renee had never been that irritable and directly thought : "the pills…". While Renee was locked in her room still consuming her anger, Ally got into her purse and found many prescriptions that that gave her full access to a medication she was now addicted to. She became conscious of what was going on : she let her best friend poison herself. Right in front of her eyes, without doing anything to help her out. At that very moment, Ally was feeling guilty. How could she never saw something that had obviously been lasting for the last months ? "No, of course you've been too busy with Larry. Look where it led !!" she thought. A week later, Renee was on her way to Atlanta to follow a detoxification program . There, she was close to her family. She and Ally agreed it would be beneficially if she left Boston for a while to escape from the constant nervous tension that triggered her lengthy fall into addiction.

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After Ling and Renee, it was Mark's turn to quit the firm, and Boston. He got tired of Cage & Fish and came back in/to the state of Washington where he went to Law School. He was looking for a fresh start to forget his mishaps and bad memories associated to the firm (such as Cindy). Rumors was that he had been recently made partner.

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_The sun'll come out, tomorrow _

_Bet your bottom dollar that tomorrow _

_There'll be sun _

_Just thinkin' about, tomorrow _

_Clears away the cobwebs and the sorrow _

'Til there's none… 

The sun came out for Elaine. Unbeknownst to everyone, she cast an audition late August for a Musical in Broadway. To do so, she spent most of her spare time and weekends in July training for that audition. She wanted to be prepared and getting a part in that play was a way to prove herself she was worthier than she let appear. Indeed she was working on what Larry told her when she won the twist contest : "You won it. Just don't hold yourself up to it." For once in her life, she was having doubts about what she was doing, although she was excited over the outcome of it. Her future lied in her hands ; well, in her voice I should say. Much to her surprise, the audition went well and she was pretty sure she had made a good impression. She was confident but she chose not to let anybody know about it. She didn't want to be laughed at in case she failed. Pleased with herself, she got back to work and for the lawyers of Cage & Fish, she was still…Elaine , a hot girl, carefree and lacking of ambition. One day, Elaine was on the edge of telling Richard she'd found a purpose in her life : "I may be a secretary but don't you dare talking to me that way !! Damnit, you'll see what I'll be in a few months and you'll go back over your words." Richard didn't even take note of it, too immersed in his own problems. Talking of problems…I know someone who has to deal with them by thousands. 

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I'll finish this recap by "the biggest jerk on earth" -quoted from Renee- to be quick, I'll simply call him Larry. LARRY PAUL. Remember that name ? Long time no see…Though he's not forgotten and still much on our Ally's mind. So here's the answers to the questions everybody was asking. What happened to Larry once he was in Detroit ? Well, nothing happened…between him and Jamie. In June, he was too busy trying to find a new place and a job to even look at her. She obviously tried to get him back since the first day he arrived but Larry made her hopes fade away : he was there for Sam, HE was the only reason for him to be there. The first month in Detroit was a real nightmare for Larry : he was seeing Ally everywhere, in the shops, in court…How many times did he stop and turn around in the middle street, thinking he'd heard Ally calling out to him ? 

_Everything is quiet since you're not around_

_And I live in the numbness now_

_In the background_

_I do the things we did before_

_I walk Haight Street to the store_

Days passing by, he king of got resigned : she broke with him, why would she come to Detroit ? 

Sometimes, he could just take the phone and start to dial her number…but hanged up before he finished it.

_I don't see you anymore since the hospital_

_The plans I make still have you in them_

Cause you come swimming into view 

_And I'm hanging on your words_

_Like I always used to do_

_The words they use so lightly_

_I only feel for you_

_I only know because I carry you around_

_In the background_

_I'm in the background_

Hopefully Sam was there, the only thought of him made Larry smile. That little boy of him was already  eight. "God, he's growing up so fast ! " complained Larry. Unluckily, Sam's presence wasn't enough to make him forget Ally : his mind was still set on her. Every hours, every day…not a minute passed without him thinking of her. He had only one alternative left : his job. He got himself gripped into work in order to keep himself busy. He found a firm which was ecstatic to have him ( his talent as a lawyer was known in Detroit, mostly because of Jamie).Despite his reluctance to lose his solo practice, he accepted the job. During July and August, he got assigned to the biggest cases and once more his track record remained intact……Until he faced some guy : Raymond Millbury. The case was about two wealthy neighbors that couldn't get along. Larry's client was the plaintiff and demanding damages because his neighbor was spread trashes all over his lawn. Larry definitely claimed it was a silly case but had no choice but to do it. His colleagues were only seeing the check at the end and didn't mind whether it was absurd or not. So he took charge of the case……and lost it. He still doesn't know how the opposing counsel managed to convince the jury that the plaintiff "earned it" . Anyway, it didn't stop him from working late. "Nobody's waiting for me." He told his colleagues. In truth, none of them really knew Larry .He wasn't that open with them so that he wouldn't have to talk about his life, his failures and more particularly : Ally.

All of this brings us to early September, at Cage & Fish…

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	2. turning the page ?

Chapter one

September 3rd, at one of those common morning meeting at Cage & Fish.

Richard was unusually agitated, he kept on looking at his watch, then at the door, and back at his watch…He couldn't stand still. Finally he spoke :

"Well, well…Today's a special day : I've hired two new lawyers, just got out of law school and they should here by now." He took a look a his watch and sighed "Where are they ?"

"Wh-what ? You've hired new lawyers ?"Ally blurted out "don't you think you should have told us about it ?"

"Come on, Ally ! I want money. M.O.N.E.Y. And from my last evaluation, you all don't bring enough in. Don't worry, none of you is threatened. And by the way John knew it " All looks turned to John who stopped eating his muffin.

"Go ahead, Richard" he said, willing to change the subject.

"Anyway, I wanted it to be a surprise. We really need some fresh blood in there. You, Ally don't stop skulking around in the office… " Ally cut him in a warning tone :

"Riiiiiiichard !!! "

"…Maybe one of those lawyers will cheer you up, helping you forgetting about Lar- "

"DON'T even pronounce his name ! I tell you if any of you mention His name it would be the last thing he'll ever say." 

"Wow, do you have your periods ?" Ally shot him a killer look that advised him against going on that path." Bygônes .Well, I hope you'll all welcome them warmly, okay ? " Since Jane qualified the office as cold, Richard seemed to make an obsession about that." One more thing, those two are coming from a valued Detroit law school."

"De-Detroit…?" Ally was speechless. It was like someone had punch her right in the heart. Any reference to this town was reminding her of…Him. And it hurt .She was interrupted in her thoughts by a knock on the door. She spin around to see Richard greeting the new additions.

"Richard Fish, welcome in the house." He turned back to his crew "Let me introduce to your new colleagues : Glenn Foy and Jenny Shaw."

Ally raised her head to take a look at the guy. _"He is really cute,"_ she thought while chewing  her pencil _"maybe Richard was right, setting my mind on somebody else wouldn't be a bad thing after all." _ She kept staring at his oh-so beautiful blue eyes. Richard's voice pulled her out of her contemplation :

"Ally, meet your new friends. " That's when she saw their hands…They were holding hands !!

"Great !" she said out  loud, dryly. Then she added mentally :_"the last thing I need right now is to get a crush on a married guy. Wait, who said he was married ? Maybe they're just close friends . Billy and I used to hold hands when we were in Law School. Well, in fact we were together but…Where am I going ? "_

"Ally, why don't you put on your happy face and join us to welcome Glenn and Jenny ? "he asked with a fake smile "You don't plan to stand on that chair all day, do you ?" 

Ally heard Glenn laugh. _Silly guy, silly !!_ She forced herself to get up to talk to Jenny. And evidently, she slipped out the forbidden word during the conversation.

"I hope it won't be that different from Detroit. They say that Boston's firm…" Ally didn't hear the end of the sentence. She was focusing on that word : Detroit. De-troit…..Larry !!

« Sorry, I-I've got work." She managed to say before she quickly exited the conference room. Coretta noticed her troubled expression and followed her into her office. She hesitantly knocked on the door. 

" Ally, it's Coretta. Can I come in ?" She heard some sniffling.

"Um, no…I'm busy right now, maybe later." Coretta opened the door anyway and found Ally  with red puffy eyes, energetically searching for a tissue.

"Are you sure you don't wanna talk about it ?

"NO !! I'd prefer you to leave. I need a moment alone" Not listening to her, Coretta sat down on the chair facing her desk. Ally wasn't gonna get rid of her that easily. She needed to let her feelings out, but just wouldn't admit it to herself.

"Don't you like Glenn and Jenny ? They seem smart. "

"Yeah, anybody coming from Detroit would be smart I suppose !" she replied in a harsh tone.

"So, that's it …Detroit. It's just a town, Ally. You have to recognize that you've overreacted a little…"Ally raised  her head to look at her and became sarcastic.

" Oh, sorry to bother you with my miserable life. Now tell me : what's going on in yours ? Anything interesting ?" Coretta sent her a look that said she had crossed the line. " Sorry…I apologize. It's just…that I feel on the edge of a nervous breakdown I've been constantly under pressure lately. And I don't need to tell you that working with two lawyers coming from Detroit doesn't help me. It's already hard to handle His departure…" 

"Just give them a chance, Ally : you barely them. Don't you think you should go past this Detroit thing ?

"It sounds so easy coming from you." Ally was calmed by now. "Okay, I'll try." She formed a small smile on her lips : "Did I tell you that Glenn is really handsome ?"

"I deduced it from the way you stared at him earlier in the conference room."

"Was it that obvious? "she demanded , alarmed.

"For people who know, yeah. But don't worry, nobody noticed except me." They shared a long of mutual understanding, then Ally simply said :

"Thank you for listening."

"Well, I'm a good listener."  Coretta observed a shadow passing into Ally's eyes. "You ok ?"

"Yeah, I'm gonna go back to…work. Yeah, I have to work. I'll see you later."

Coretta left. She couldn't realize that Ally's reaction was due to her last line "I'm a good listener". Without knowing, she quoted Larry. He said that when he and Ally first met and she had taken him for a therapist. Those five little words came as a hurricane, bringing back floods of memories. Ally couldn't do anything but banging her head on her desk _:"Ill be over him. Someday, I'll be over him." _She kept repeating. By saying the words, maybe she'll start to believe it.

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Weeks flew by and ally was getting used having Glenn and Jenny around. She really liked Glenn. He and Jenny had been involved for three years, but they were going trough a rough time since they arrived in Boston. Ally was there for him as long as he  kept off mentioning Detroit. Their closeness was obvious to everyone at the firm and that made Jenny even more jealous. She couldn't understand why Glenn would rather talk with Ally about his problems than with her. The thing is that Ally disliked her as well. She saw in Jenny the hypocrite type but put on the happy face in front of her, at least for Glenn's sake. Their friendship grew stronger and stronger, and Ally saw him as the little brother she never had. She  was able to let him know silently about what was on her mind. When she was angry, they just sat in silence in her office, no words were necessary until she was fully serene. Ally truly cherished this friendship : there was something refreshing in it and it made her forget about Him. For once in a long time, she was concentrating on something else. Glenn was there when she needed him and she knew she had someone she could count on. Of course there was John, but lately he's been busy with his relationship with Nelle. Ally accepted that and knew it was better to back off a little.

In fact, John and Nelle were doing great, really great. On September 18th, Ally was surprised to hear that they were taking a month vacation in Vermont. They announced it at the beginning of the staff meeting :

"First up, Jackson and the sexual harassment case. How's it g- "

"Hold on, Richard" John interrupted " Nelle and I have something to tell you."

"You're getting married ? Congrats', Bygônes. So Jackson…" Nelle hit him hard on the shoulder.

"Pokee-pokee…..Let me finish : Nelle and I are flying out to Vermont this afternoon. We're taking a month vacation."

"What about money ?" Richard said in a whiny voice.

"It's not that I don't care Richard, but it's the least of my concern right now."

"Right, and do we have to remind you that we've got two new lawyers among us ? Let's get them to work." Nelle added.

"But, but…" It was now Richard's turn to stammer." You had to tell me. I'm a partner and I had the right to know that the two of you were serious  !"

"Richard…" John had an exasperated tone. " that's not the point. You'd be the first to know if Nelle & I were having sex…I mean getting serious. Okay, I think it's time for us to leave." They stood up and left. A few moments later, Ally was out of the room , running after John.

"What is it with those meeting I don't get to finish ?…Ally, come here, you're not allowed to get up !! Come on…" But it was like talking to a wall.

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"John, John…wait !" Ally grabbed his upper arm " Can I talk to you for a minute?"

"Sure" To Nelle "Wait for me outside. I won't be long." She let go off his hand and said a quick goodbye to Ally before stepping into the elevator.

_"It's not that bad "_ she thought _"I don't really like her anyway."_ She turned back to John :"What's that trip for ? Was Richard right about you two ?

"Well, the truth is we both need some time alone, together. We'll see what that unfolds. But strangely, this time I feel more confident. Things will work out, I hope in the good way." Ally had tears in her eyes : happiness had finally found John. "Oh, Ally…don't be sad. It doesn't mean I'm leaving the firm. It's just a month away from Boston. And now you've Glenn to tale care of you." He seemed to think for a minute, then added : "You know someday, sooner than you think, he'll realize his mistake and will come back. I'm sure he will."

"Yeah." Was all she was able to let out, looking everywhere but at him. She was still taking in the fact that another of her closest friend was leaving. Not leaving her ,but leaving anyway. When she finally got the courage to lift her head up, John was  gone.

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She ran back into her office and closed the door behind her. There, she sat in the couch and cried. 

_Something went wrong, you're not laughing_

_It's not so easy now to get you to smile_

_You gotta be strong to walk these streets and keep from falling_

_But when you're not just let yourself cry_

_If you throw a stone, something's gonna shatter somewhere_

_We're all so fragile, we're all so scared._

_You say you wanna learn how to live your life without tears_

_But we've been trying to do that for thousands of years…_

She doesn't know how much time she spent there, sobbing, but when she looked up at the door, Glenn was standing there with a look of deep concern.

So go on and cry 

_It's the only thing to do sometimes_

_I'm crying too right there with you_

_It's all right, everybody cry_

 Without a word, she walked over him and he took her in his arms, gently rocking her. After a long wait, Ally blurted out : 

" They all leave me. They all leave me, Glenn. What did I do ?"

That's when it hit him : his feelings for Ally had changed. Holding her that way, he realized he wanted more. Conscious that his feelings didn't mattered at the moment, he stayed quiet about it. He wanted to know why Ally was so upset. "_They all leave her ? What the hell is she talking about ?" _They stayed  in each others arms for a few minutes until Glenn carefully asked :

"What do you mean by 'they all leave' ?"

"Billy, Renee, John and Lar-…..Him. "

"Him ?" Ally disengaged herself from Glenn and stared at the floor.

"I don't wanna talk about it, Glenn. I really don't want to _think _about him. Could you leave me alone, would you do that ?"

"Okay, then…I'm in my office if you want." He left but was disturbed : for the first time he had troubles reading her. _"Him ? Who's that guy ?"_ Deep inside of him, he felt his jealousy raising up. He didn't know this guy but already hated him.

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The next day, Glenn broke up with Jenny. Although we didn't wanna lie to her, he skipped the "newly realized feelings" part. It still wasn't clear in his mind, so he had chose, to stay quiet about it.

Ally was working on some papers when Elaine came in her office, trying to look mysterious but dying to tell her something.

"Ally, you will not believe what I've just heard…" Ally didn't want to waste her time with rumors. She had a lot of work to catch up with.

"Okay, Elaine : drop it ! I'm not in the mood for riddles. What's it all about? Richard and Jane? Coretta and Jackson ? "

"It's mean, you're taking away all the fun of it !" she protested.

"So…?" Ally was getting curious. Elaine looked really excited over the news she was about to break.

"Well, I assume you'll be surprised. I personally was astonished to learn that…"

_"That's it, take your time"_ Ally thought. Elaine was really playing with her nerves.

"……Glenn and Jenny broke up." 

"What ?!! You gotta be kidding ? " Suddenly, Ally began feeling uncomfortable. Something was wrong. She needed to talk to Glenn about it. She stood up and added : "I have to go find Glenn. I don't know where you heard that but I'm pretty sure you interpret is wrong. There's no way…"

"YOU !!!" Ally turned round and saw Jenny pointing her finger at her, looking infuriated. She slammed the door behind her, which caused Ally to sat back down in her chair.

_"Okay, "_ she mentally told herself _"the jealous girlfriend was missing in my appalling life !" _She recomposed herself and tried to have the most relaxed tone : "Yeah, Jenny. Wh-what's up ?

"You're the one asking me ?" She didn't lower her voice " You know about me and Glenn. It's all your fault !! And don't deny it, you've been throwing yourself at him since the beginning !.

"How dare you…?" Jenny was becoming insulting and it was annoying her. _"What's her problem ?" _But then ,Ally saw that Elaine was still standing in the corner of the room. Obviously, she was enjoying the little scene Jenny was making. It kept Ally from answering back. _"It would be better to avoid the scandal." _So she softened her tone : "You know Jenny, I never made anything to split up your couple. I was  truly happy for you..." …_except that I violently dislike you._

"Then why do I have that weird sensation that he dumped me because of you? Look, we've been together for three years, three ! And then you came in the picture and one month later he jilts me."

"Well," Ally didn't like the turn the conversation was taking "that's something you should see with him."

"Don't tell me what to do ! " With tears in her voice, she added : "I love him…"

_"You've got a strange way of showing it."_ Ally told herself.

"..and if I found out that you lied to me," her tone became aggressive, "that the two of you did something behind by back, I will get you. Both of you." 

Ally couldn't believe Jenny's last words. She was almost threatening her ! Her pacific nature taking over, she took a deep breath and replied calmly : 

"Jenny, I have nothing to do with that. I'm gonna talk to Glenn and try to understand what happened, okay ?" She was dying to knock her out, right there, in her office.

"Okay." Still angry , Jenny nevertheless got back to work. When she left, Elaine spoke up :

"Wow, good point for the self-control !! If I were you I would have punch her by now."

Ally breathed a sigh of relief : " I'm sure she'd have punched me back, and I didn't want to start a fight."

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That evening, Ally knocked on Glenn's door.

"Working late?"

"Ally !What are you doing still here? It's way past eight."

"Late work to catch up." she explained.

"Have a sit."

"Thank you, but I won't stay long. I just thought I'd stop by : Jenny talk to me today, and she was quite…angry. Wanna tell me what happened ?"

_"Oh, oh…she's suspicious." _he was afraid Ally might have find out the truth. "Well, our relationship wasn't going anywhere. I decided to put an end at it before someone get hurt."

"She is already hurt, Glenn." Ally was incredulous, Glenn was different this evening. She couldn't believe in his reply. "You stay with someone for three years, and suddenly you realize that…it isn't working anymore ?"

"Well…yeah."

"Stop the nonsense, you can't fool me." Glenn was hiding something and it perturbed her. "There must be something behind that !And don't lie to me, I hate that."

"I stopped loving her." was all that came to his mind. And in way, It was true.

"You stopped……? You don't just 'stop loving someone' like that !" Ally shouted. She was touched by what he said. It reminded her Larry 'cause her secret fear was  that the reason why he left was that he'd simply stopped loving her.

"You're dramatizing . Moreover this doesn't even regard you !!" He yelled back at her.

"……" Ally stayed speechless. Glenn had never yelled at her.

"Sorry, I didn't want to.."

"No, it's okay : I don't have the right to make judgments. See you tomorrow." Her hand on the handle, Glenn grabbed her upper arm.

"Ally, I'm really sorry. It's not easy for me right now. I'm a little lost and I will probably need to have some space for the next few days. Do you understand ?"  

"Completely, don't worry. Bye Glenn."

"Bye…Ally ?"She turned to face him.

"Yeah ?"

"Thanks for caring."

"You're welcome." And she disappeared into the elevator.

****************************************************************

September 25th : during a morning meeting, Glenn asked Richard if he'd be okay if of one his friend would join the firm for a few weeks, time for him to establish in Boston and find another job. Richard, agreed immediately, sensing that this new lawyer would bring him money.

"He's a good lawyer ?"

"Yes, he's pretty good. One of the best, I should say."

"Well, tell him he can start tomorrow." 

Ally couldn't help but chimed in : "Don't you wanna see his resume first ? That's something you should learn to do…" she joined a mocking smile to her words.

"Ah, ah….Bygônes."

Glenn reassured her : "Don't be anxious, Raymond's terrific! He's one of the best lawyer in Detroit. I've known him for years and I can tell you that he's…"

But Ally was already somewhere else :"_Detroit, Detroit…..Damnit !! It's been four months, Ally and you need to go past this."_

"…sure you'll like him."

"If you say so." She replied with a vacant look.

"Okay then." Richard concluded. "When does he arrive ?"

"From what he told me, he'd be here by the end of the week."

"Great ! So let's go on. Coretta…"

Ally didn't care about the end of the meeting. Her mind was set on this new lawyer. _"Hope we'll at least get along. As I seem to recall, one person out of  two coming from Detroit is causing me problems. On one hand there is Jamie, Jenny and on the other hand, well, there is Glenn. I can't put Larry on the list 'cause he did both."_

****************************************************************

As Glenn said, Raymond was in Boston by Friday. Besides he made a successful arrival. 

Everyone was attending to the staff meeting when Elaine came rushing in the room, sweating.

"The new…he's here…waiting."

"Elaine, catch your breath and tell us all what's going on."

Elaine paused for a minute, wiped off some sweat from her face and finally : "The new lawyer : Raymond Millbury…is here." Was all she was  able to say before someone knocked her on the floor by opening the door.

"Oh, sorry !" he apologized, seemingly embarrassed." I thought you wanted me to follow you."

"Raymond ! How are you doing ? The flight went okay ? Do you like Boston ?" Ally never saw Glenn that agitated. He quickly stood up to greet his friend, and not letting him time to respond to all his questions, they made a weird handshake. A sign of their long-lasted relationship.

"God, they look like teenagers !" Ally thought. She took a glimpse at Raymond and realized he was older than Glenn. Actually, he was closer to her age. Strangely, she had that feeling that she might like him in the end. After all, he was a friend of Glenn. As for Elaine, the job was done : she was already crawling over him. It was hard not to notice that her corporal temperature has raised from ten degrees !_Elaine will never change._

"Well, I'm good. Everything's fine and by the way thank you Mr. Fish for taking me with you."

"Just call me Richard. Do you make money ?"

"Richard !!" Ally cut in.

"Bigônes."

That's when Raymond noticed her : "Hi, Raymond Millbury."

"I know, Ally McBeal. I assume you've already made Elaine's acquaintance : she's our secretary. Here at the moment you're in the conference room and Richard directing his daily morning meeting he never gets to finish. Looks like you interrupted him but don't worry, it's not a big deal." She let out in one breath.

"Do I make her uncomfortable or is she always talking that fast ?" Raymond wondered. " Thanks, I didn't mean to disturb you."

"Not at all. In fact we were finished, right Richard ?" She had found there a way to escape from the meeting.

"Well…"

"Why don't I show you your office ?" Glenn proposed. " So you can tell what are the news from Detroit."

_"Arghhhhh ! Stop referring to that town !!_

******************

The rest of the day went smoothly. Glenn and Raymond stayed most of the time in his office. They had a lot of things to catch up with each other. Elaine tried to control her hormones, didn't succeed. Ti was 5P;M when Ally took a break and went in the unisex. She thought she was alone so that when Glenn arrived, she told him with no reserve that Raymond made her a good impression. He seemed smart, and if he was as good as he said; there would be no problems.

"What am I good at ?"

_"I knew it ! I knew it, I should have checked the stalls !"_ Ally was discomfited. "Wh-what ? Where are you coming from ?"

"Stupid question, don't you think ? And I repeat mine : what am I good at ?" It looked like he enjoyed it : he had already noticed that Ally was susceptible and he was teasing her.

"Glenn said you were a good litigator, so I was telling it was a good point and that you're aptitude in court……am I getting anywhere ?"

"No, I don't think so." He laughed." Besides that, I was just teasing you. I knew you were talking about my work as a lawyer."

"Okay," Ally knew she had made a fool of herself. " I will just not respond to that. Glenn, I'll see you tomorrow. For the Carvin case, remember ?"

"Yeah. Bye Ally."

"And don't get any 'I am dying to see you again, Raymond' ?"

"Not today, you earned it." And she walked off with a smile on her lips.

"She seems nice……Glenn ?" His friend was still staring at the place where Ally was standing moments ago.

"Oh, yeah. Very nice."

Raymond studied him for a minute then said : "You do have a crush on her, don't you ?"

"A crush…what? No !"

"Yes, and if you'd learnt how to lie, I'd be President of The United States by now."

"Okay, you're right." He reluctantly admitted." But I don't wanna rush her…or me. I've just broke up with Jenny and I need to reflect on that. Be quiet about it…"

Raymond put his hand on his heart and promised : "Your secret will die with me." Then , he burst out laughing " You man have a way to trap yourself in inextricable situations !"

****************************************************************

One week passed that way. Raymond kept making fun of Ally. In fact she found it relaxing to be able to laugh again. At last. To Ally's astonishment, Raymond really appreciated Elaine's company. On Monday, Ally learnt that the two of them were going on a date the following evening.

Tuesday morning, while Ally and Raymond were chatting, he got a call from his cousin. He announced Raymond that his wedding was canceled…

"……Canceled? Why……How ? You did what ? Are you crazy ?……No, okay. I'll call you back. Bye." When he hanged up, Raymond looked very anxious.

"What happened ?"

"Julian, my cousin, was getting married on the October 11th."

"This Thursday ?"

"Yes. And he's just call to tell me there would be no wedding. They split up."

"WHAT ? I mean : why ?"

"Promise me you won't laugh when I tell you." Ally nodded yes. " Well…he set her car on fire."

"He did…fire ?"

"Yeah. Apparently they had a huge fight. But I didn't get much of it, he was quite incoherent."

"I'm to repeat it, but…fire ?"

"I'm as surprised as you are, if you wanna know. What in the world could have…? I don't understand his behavior."

"You should call him later today. Perhaps we'll be more coherent this time."

"I'll see. For now, I have to tell Richard I'll be there tomorrow : no wedding, no one day vacation."

She watched him leave in direction of Richard's office. _"Wow, I 'd be for nothing in the guy's place right now. His cousin must be devastated. But burning his fiancée's car…That one could have brought him to/in a courtroom. Well, never mind, I guess."_

****************************************************************

Ally guessed wrong. Friday morning, Raymond came in the conference room with a preoccupied look on his face. When Richard finally finished his meeting,  –he was ecstatic ! -  Raymond asked everybody one more minute because he  had something to tell them.

"Go on, what's the scoop ?" Glenn was interested.

"My cousin is being sued, for emotional distress and material damages. He wants me to represent him."

Afraid to lose his new talented addition, Richard panicked : "How long will it take ? Where's the trial, and why you ?"

"There are several reasons. First, my cousin trusts me and I can't refuse to help him. Second, he's from Detroit so I'll have to go there for a week at least…" That's when Ally started to have that disturbing feeling that something was going to happen."…and at last, the opposing counsel is one of the best lawyer in town. Nobody beat him, except me. Once. Moreover on an un-winnable case ! My cousin thinks I can renew the impossible. I have to try."

"And-and what's his name…..the opposing council ?" asked Ally, fearing the answer.

"Oh, I don't believe you know him : Larry Paul."

**End of Chapter One**


	3. going or not goingto Detroit ?

Well, thanks for the reviews. I hope you guys will be satisfied with The confrontation of Ally & Larry : here it comes !!

Chapter two

Ally was choking : it was like the whole room was out of air.

"La-La-Larry…Paul ?" she started coughing.

"Yes, ever heard of him ?" Raymond's calm contrasted with Ally's commotion.

_"I should have guessed it, damnit ! It was too calm to last. Please tell me it's just a big nightmare and I'm gonna wake up soon…"_ She was now playing nervously with her pencil. "Well, um, yeah…y-you could say that." Coretta noticed that she looked extremely pale, as if all the blood left her face.

"That would be a good point : if you know any tips on how to destabilize him in court…" he suggested, interested.

Ally wasn't definitely feeling very well. The truth is, she was on the verge of passing out. "Uh, I-I'm sorry but I need some fresh air." And she run out of the room, leaving everybody stunned and speechless.

"What's wrong with her ? Is she always acting like a nut ?" Jenny chimed in. "I know somebody who needs a strong therapy…"

"You don't know a thing about her, Jenny! So why don't you just shut up and leave her alone ?" Coretta truly sympathizes with Ally's pain and she knew the last thing she needed at the moment was Jenny being scornful. Jackson wanted to avoid a fight between Coretta and her, so he tried to pacify the situation

"Okay girls, I think you're a little too old for the kindergarten quarrel." He tried is best smile but Coretta didn't give in.

"Whatever !! " Coretta spat out to him before leaving the conference room to find Ally.

******************

She was in the unisex, locked into one the stalls.

"Ally, open the door…"

"No !"

"Ally.."

"Don't 'Ally me' : all of you don't have a clue of how I feel right now !"

""You're acting like a child !" Coretta was fed up with her infantile reactions. "Hiding isn't going to help, do you know that ? Are you decided to go out now or I'll have to stay here and wait ? " She heard  a small 'click' and Ally exited the stall , tears rolling down her face.

"I'm not over him." she avowed.

"I don't mean to be cruel Ally, but everybody is aware of that."

"Well, I wasn't ! I thought for a few weeks that I could go on with my life without him…but it's pretty much evident : I can't. I need to know why. I feel like my life's been put on hold since he left. Look at me ! I sort of look like……nothing. My life means nothing."

_"Wow, he really hurt her, and deeper than I thought."_ Coretta was unarmed against that.

"Who's that Larry ?" Both girls turned round to see Glenn, he was staring at them impassively.

"Glenn ? Uh, I don't think now is the time : Ally's worn-out and I'm going to take her home, so…"

"You can go back to work, I'll take care of her." Glenn wasn't moving an inch, and seeing the cold look on his face, Coretta didn't protest and left the unisex.

"So, who is he ?"

"Please, Glenn…I don't need this , especially now." she pleaded.

"Need what?"

"Your jealousy over some guy you don't even know !!" Ally was at last letting her anger out, even if she knew that Glenn wasn't the cause.

"You're right, I'm jealous…" Glenn knew he was in the open. He changed his mind about the end of his sentence so as to detour the subject, without lying. "…because you've never said a single word about him. Because it looks like he put you through a lot of pain, and because you're still attached to him in a way, no matter how much he has hurt you. I've never seen you that upset. Look at yourself, you're almost shaking !" he said, indicating her hands.

"I said I needn't anybody." Ally said,firmly. " I want some time alone. But you can't understand that !" And she stormed off.

******************

Later, while she was working in her office or at least trying to focus on some paperwork, Ally heard a knock on the door and Richard entered. He had a mysterious smile on his face.

"Hey moping girl ! I've got big news for you."

"I am NOT moping, Richard !!"

"Yeah right, and I'm bold. Bigônes." He sat down in front of her and lighted a cigar. Ally sighed. "The fact is that I talked to Raymond and we agreed you would be second chair on the case."

"What are the good news in that?" she asked doubtfully, "I don't wanna go to Detroit." She coughing several times to make Richard understand that the smoke of his cigar was quite intoxicating. " And won't you please extinguish this cigar !" 

"Ally, I know you want to find out why he left. Trust me, we all wonder what passed through his mind. Why don't you take that opportunity? You need answer, we're all curious."

"How many times do I have to repeat : NO ! I'm fine ,thanks."

"You're a great lawyer, Ally. But when it comes to lies, you're terrible. Do you really think we're blind ? You've been lurking around the office with your gloomy face for six months now."

"Five…it's been five months." She grumbled between her teeth. "And let me tell you : I'm not gloomy, just a little…depressed."

"Oh, and that's better. Tell me where's the problem ? You're craving for an explanation and you're dying to see him. Is anything holding you back ?"

She seemed to think about it then said : "I'm afraid that if I go to Detroit, I won't get out of it in one piece."

"So that's a scoop : you're already in a thousand pieces ! Believe it or not but it can't get worse."

"Thanks Richard, that helps a lot!"

"Seriously. What could happen there that could be worse ?

"……"

"Perfect ! You're on the case. You're flying out tomorrow evening. Trial begins Monday.

"No Richard, I never that-"

"Never mind !" he answered, already out of her office, leaving a trail of smoke behind him. Ally banged her head on her desk : she was trapped.

*************************************************************************************

That night, Ally didn't sleep a lot. _"What a change !"_ she ironically observed. She still hadn't  made up her mind about Detroit. Early in the morning, she got up to make herself some coffee and turned on the radio. There was this Corrs' song which completely matched with her mood.

_You're only just a dream boat sailing in my head_

_You swim my secret oceans of coral blue and red_

_Your smell is incense burning, your touch is silken yet,_

_It reaches through my skin, moving from within_

_And clutches at my breast_

_But it's only when I sleep_

_See in you in my dreams_

Got me spinning round and round 

_Turning upside down…_

_And when I wake from slumber_

_Your shadow's disappeared_

_Your breath is just a sea mist surrounding my body_

_I'm working through the daytime_

_But when it's time to rest, I'm lying in my bed_

_Listening to my breath, falling from the edge_

But it's only when I sleep…… 

"I have to make things move." And Saturday evening, she went to the airport. Surprisingly she found Raymond there waiting for her.

"Richard told me that you would come anyway. So I figured I would wait and see."

"Here I am !! Ready to face it!" she made an attempt to sound cheerful, but her heart was still heavy. 

"Let's go then. Did I tell you that Richard relate me the story of you and Larry?"

"He did?"

"Well, I was interested and Richard is quite talkative…"

"Yeah, I already knew that. Now that you got knowledge of my dreadful life, can we take that plane ?"

"Uh…not yet. I'm waiting for somebody else."

"Another lawyer?

"Not exactly."

"Raymond !!"

Ally turned round and saw Elaine literally throwing herself at him. 

"Hey, I thought you weren't gonna make it ."

"Something came up but I'm here. Are you sure you don't want me to come ?"

Raymond put his arms around her. "Shh,  we've already talk about it. Moreover Ally will be there to look after me. Right ?" She nodded, realizing that Raymond was looking her support. 

"Last call for passengers to Detroit, Michigan. Plane now boarding at gate 11…" 

"Yep, it's our flight Raymond! We should hurry up if we don't want them to leave without us." Ally was getting nervous…_Detroit…_she was finally having the guts to go there.

"Okay, you stay good while I'm gone ?" Apparently, Raymond had been told about Elaine's past.

"Always." Raymond kissed her sweetly and when it become more passionate, he broke apart. "Well, see you  in one week."

Ally's mouth was hanging  open _: Elaine and Raymond ?_ She was stunned_. "Never saw that one coming.." She was planning to have a little conversation with him during the flight. After all, they had more than 3 hours to spare and she couldn't wait to know more about the two of them as an item._

******************

It's been half an hour since they took off and Ally didn't know how to bring up the subject.

"Elaine didn't tell me you two wee seeing each other."

Raymond didn't look up from his magazine and mumbled "Uh-uh."

"It must have been recent 'cause she tells me everything…"

"Yes, it is."

_"Okay, wanna stay silent Mr. Millbury ? Let's play the frankness card." Ally cleared her throat and said bluntly :"So you're serious ?"_

This time, Raymond put the magazine down and stared at her. "Well, I don't know. Tell me first about you and Larry."

"Um," she was taken aback, "that's not the point."

"It is. How can I measure the seriousness of a relationship if I don't have any clue of what's serious for you?"

What he said made sense in a way. "Well, Larry had moved in with me and we'd been involved for more than five months. We kind of completed each other."

"Wow, from your standards, Elaine and I are faraway from being serious !" he replied in a chuckle. "But from mines, I think it might work."

"You wanna tell me more about it?"

"You wanna tell me more about Larry?"

"You always need to have the last word ?"

"You always answer a question with another one ?"

They stopped and both burst out laughing. The next two hours passed quickly : they talked respectively about Larry and Elaine so that by the end of the flight, Raymond knew almost everything about Larry ,and Ally discovered a new face of Elaine she never suspected.

When they landed on Detroit City Airport, it was way past eleven p.m. They took a cab which drove them to the St Regis Hotel. Both of them were exhausted and immediately went in direction of their rooms which were one floor separated. Her sleepless nights finally catching up with her, Ally yawned all the way and once settled in her room, she fell asleep.

*************************************************************************************

The next morning, Ally was getting dressed when Raymond passed by her room to pick her up. 

"Ally, it's Raymond. Ready to go ?"

"Come in." He did and found her lacing her sneakers. "Give me a minute and I'll be ready."

Raymond agreed to take her sight-seeing. Since the trial was scheduled to start on Monday, they had a whole day to visit the city. After their little chat the previous day, Raymond thought it would be a good idea to show Ally a different side of Detroit. She was seeing it through Larry which meant pain, grieve and anger. Raymond had grown up in Detroit and knew places where to have a good time. Ally needed that, especially before the trial : she would be less stressed.

"What are you looking at ?" she asked suspiciously. Ally has exchanged her traditional blouse & skirt outfit for a large Harvard sweatshirt a sport pants.

"…well, I'm not used to…seeing you like this."

"Like what ? More relaxed ?"

"If you say it : yes. More sexy might I add."

"Raymond ! What about Elaine ? Already forgotten about her ?"

"Just teasing !" he sneered.

"Okay, then forget about your astonishment so we can get started." Raymond was right : one good night sleep and she looked……healthier. No more circles around the eyes hardening her face, no more vacant look … "So, are we going or not ?"

"Of course, a promise is a promise."

"If all men could say and apply that…" her excitement was replaced by a look of sadness.

"Oh, oh!! Larry's already coming back." Raymond intended to make her more cheerful : "Don't think about that. What if I took you to the park ?"

"Raymond, I'm not a child."

"Don't be stupid, I proposed you to take a walk !! It's pleasant in this season."

"If you say so, let's go !"

In fact they didn't make it to the park until later in the afternoon. Raymond showed her some beautiful places and he took her to lunch in a French restaurant he'd known for years. Ally was beginning to get out of her 'it must be very cold in Detroit' way of thinking. The more time she spent there, the more she liked the city.

******************

It was 4 p.m. when Larry knocked on Jamie's door. Sam almost immediately opened the door and jumped into his arms. 

"Hi dad ! Are you coming in ?" He knew his parents didn't get along well theses times.

"No buddy, but I thought I could take you someplace. Okay ?"

"Great ! Let me tell mum about it and we can go."

A few minutes later, they were walking in The park. Well, running seemed to be more appropriate for Sam : Larry bought him a baseball glove and wanted to teach him how to play. 

Unfortunately, after a few exchange, Larry threw the ball too high which caused Sam to miss the shot and the ball went right into a stranger's head. He turned around, rubbing his forehead and Larry recognized him : Raymond Millbury. What was he doing here _? "Silly question, Larry. He's opposing council in a case that starts tomorrow!"  Raymond didn't noticed Larry. All he saw a little boy running to him, an embarrassed look plastered on his face. _

"I'm sorry. I couldn't catch it. Did it hurt you ?"

"Well," still massaging his forehead, "I can't say it didn't hurt, but I'm still alive for sure ! You're forgiven." And he gave Sam the ball back.

"Sorry again. Bye."

_"Funny kid."_ He thought. He walked back to Ally who was waiting for him, sitting on a bench. Suddenly, he felt a little bump on his temp. "Shit !!" he said out loud.

"What's making you so angry ?"

"I've sort of almost been knocked out by a kid."

Both alarmed and amused, Ally got up and stepped closer to see his 'oh-so big wound'. "Oh you, big baby ! It's only a tiny bump." she grinned.

"Hey, don't poke fun at me : you're not the one who's in pain !" he complained.

"See, we can make a contest : your little bump against my broken heart." A silence and their laughter came out loud.

"Okay, I'm a big baby. You won. So as a big baby I'm going back to the hotel 'cause I want to put some pomade on it before it reaches baseball size."

Ally couldn't help but laugh, which rapidly turned into an uncontrollable laughter. Raymond headed for the hotel but then he saw that Ally wasn't moving, still laughing : "Are you planning to stay here all day ? My head hurts !" He took by the arm and dragged her off the park.

******************__

In the meantime, Sam had come back to his father…who was actually not moving a muscle.

"Dad, I've got it back…Dad ?"

Larry came out of his reverie: "Yeah Sammy. Just give me one minute." Something, or someone had captured his attention: Ally. He was watching Raymond Millbury in the corner if the eye when he saw…her. Wait, she was talking with him. _"What the hell ?"_ Ally's hand was now touching his face. _"Stop it, Larry. It must be one of those stupid hallucinations." _He rubbed his eyes and when he looked up, she wasn't there anymore. He all of a sudden became aware of his son's presence : 

" Dad ! How about some ice cream ?"

"What? Yeah, let's go." He took one more look where he thought Ally was standing a moment ago and walked off.

Around 6p.m, Larry took Sam home. They were in front of the building in Larry's car and Sam was begging him to come up and see the new posters he bought.

"Next time, Sam. I have an important trial tomorrow." Larry couldn't miss the disappointed look on his face.

"So when will I see you again ?"

"I'll be busy this week, but maybe next Monday."

"Okay." He kissed his father on the cheek and exited the car.

_"Will I ever be able to make up for the pain I inflicted him ?_" Larry stayed in front of the building a few minutes, thinking about his son.

_Everything's so blurry_

_and everyone's so fake_

_and everybody's empty_

_and everything is so messed up_

_pre-occupied without you_

_I cannot live at all_

_My whole world surrounds you_

_I stumble then I crawl_

_I wonder what you're doing_

_imagine where you are_

_there's oceans in between us_

_but that's not very far_

_Can you take it all away_

_can you take it all away_

_well ya shoved it in my face_

_this pain you gave to me_

_Everyone is changing_

_there's no one left that's real_

_to make up your own ending_

_and let me know just how you feel_

_cause I am lost without you_

_I cannot live at all_

_my whole world surrounds you_

_I stumble then I crawl_

Wiping off the tears from his eyes, Larry turned over his car and drove back to his apartment.

*************************************************************************************

"Ally, calm down !! " Raymond repeated for the tenth time. "Why are you so tense ?" 

"Why ? Y-you're seriously asking me why ?" Her eyes were wide open. She and Raymond were in the elevator, on their way to the first floor courtroom.

"I understand, you have the right to be anxious, but don't show it in court ! And for God's sake stop playing with your hair, the jury will notice and take it as a sign of weakness."

Raymond was very strict that morning. He barely said a word all along the way to the courthouse. _"When he's into something…don't try to get in his way."_ Ally was discovering Raymond as the lawyer. _"No wonder why he's so good if he's always that pitiless."_ They had spent most of the previous evening working on the opening arguments and they were prepared. And still, he looked distant. _Dong_. The doors opened and Raymond went in search of his cousin. He was there, sitting on a bench, his hands on his knees and nervously rubbing them._" At least I've found someone who's a bigger wreck than me." _she sighed.

"Hi, Julian." 

"Raymond ! Thank you for coming. I still don't realize what's happening to me." He looked thoroughly tired.

"Meet Ally McBeal,  a lawyer from Boston. She'll help me on your lawsuit."

"Hi, Mr. Dawn." She extended her hand to him.

"Just call me Julian. Emma is already in there with her."

"All right then. Let's go……Ally ?"

She was paralyzed. All her resolutions had faded away, leaving place to fear and uncertainty _._After all coming to Detroit wasn't such a good idea._" He's in there. Am I ready to face him ? God, give me a sign, I don't know what to do…."_

"Ally, we have to go in. No escape."

"Ok-okay." She replied, clutching her briefcase. She entered the courtroom with her head down. Suddenly, everything seemed to be moving in slow motion. All she could hear was the sound of her high heels on the floor. Poc……poc……poc……

"Miss McBeal ?"

She raised up her head and almost bumped in to Raymond. He and Larry were shaking hands. "_Larry……my Larry…" _Raymond was probably expecting the same from Ally. He stepped aside and Ally found herself in front of him. Time stopped when she saw him : he hadn't changed. _"Oh, his deep brown eyes and oh-so sensuous lips…Stop it, damnit !! He's the opposing council. Pretend he's the enemy."_  She started stuttering : 

"Hi, Al-Ally McBeal. That's….my name !!" She was uneasy and it was evident. She held out her hand to him and shivered at the touch of his. She quickly disengaged her hand and began playing nervously with her hair.

"……"  

For the first time in his life, Larry was at a loss for word in a courtroom. Rare enough to take note of it. They locked eyes and stared at each other for a long time. No words were needed to express their feeling at the moment. Someone in the background cleared his throat, breaking the connection between them. Larry's hand was still hanging in the air in disbelief. 

"Miss McBeal, our client is waiting for us."

"What ?" She suddenly realized that she was still in court. "Oh, yeah. Sorry." She sat next to Raymond and tried her best not to look at Larry. _"This is crazy. I'm crazy. What am I doing here? "_

The bailiff cut short her reflection. "All rise, the court is now in session." Judge Joan Phillips came in : "Be seated. The defense : is there anything you would like to say before we begin ?"

"No, your honor." 

And three hours later, the jury had been selected and opening arguments could begin. Larry was first : 

"Ladies and gentlemen, we will intend to prove the defendant's reaction was unjustified and that he acted with premeditation, intentionally causing the plaintiff material and emotional injuries. He burnt her car, with no other apparent reason than…" Ally hated it. She wondered how Larry could contain his emotions, not letting anything disconcerting him. "…that's why he should pay for what he exposed her to. The plaintiff is seeking compensatory damages for emotional distress, including the wedding ceremony charges she had to pay." Larry slowly got back to his table. He couldn't stop watching here. _"She's here, it's a fact. But why ?"_

Raymond walked over the jury. " This case has nothing to do with premeditation. It's about a man who thought he'd been betrayed and cheated on, four days before his wedding. We'll show that his acts were guided by his emotions and his unstable state of mind at the moment. Temporary insanity : that's the reason. The defendant had no idea of what he was doing. He was totally regardless of the consequences. We ask for your understanding, my client can't be hold as the only one to blame and we will demonstrate that."

_"Wow, that's an opening ! "_ Ally thought. She peered at Larry who was actually staring at his table. Raymond sat back down, looking fully satisfied.

"If there's nothing to add, the court will retreat. We will resume tomorrow at 3 p.m. for the testimonies. Court is adjourned."'

Ally felt like she was suffocating. _"Breath……I need to breath. I'm gonna have to face Larry. It's inevitable." _She went out of the courtroom, shuddering at the thought of it.

Larry closed his briefcase and saw that Ally was already out of the room. _"What do I do now ? Am I going to talk to her ? I will have to face her anyway. Better be now, it's inevitable."_

Raymond saw Larry walking towards Ally and winked at her. "See you later at the hotel. We'll have to work on the testimony…and talk about him." indicating Larry, and he left.

Larry walked over her and both stared at each other. After an awkward silence which felt like eternity, Larry spoke up :"Hi !"

"And I actually thought you were dumb. I can see now that you're capable of speaking. I thought you left note ?……" she instantly regretted her words. " Sorry, that was a little harsh."

"I deserved it." looking at his feet he added, "How are you doing ?"

"Is that question I have to answer ?" Unexpectedly, she felt the urge to punch him. All her anger and pain was coming back and all she wanted to do was to release it. " 'Cause you know the answer is pretty much evident. What did you expect ? I'm……I'm devastated. I don't even remember why I came here. God, I don't even know why I'm talking to you !! I should hate you for what you did…" she was now shouting. "…but I can't. I'd like to say that I don't care, that I've turned the page. But you keep me from going on. I don't understand and wonder : why me ? What could have I possibly done to deserve that ? Why did you disappeared, why ?" People in the hall were staring at her in wonder. "See ? Add humiliation to the list !!" Infuriated, she threw her hands in the air and soon she was out of sight, gone.

Larry stayed there, astounded and out of words. _"Twice in a day Larry, twice !!"_ His heart was slowly breaking into a million of pieces. _"What she said.. how could have I hurt her so badly ?"_  He was ashamed for so many reasons : he left her, gave no explanation, caused her so much grief…And there he stood, unable to say a single word. He finally run off to find her but it was too late. She had already left the courthouse. _"I have to talk to her tomorrow. Things can't stay that way. She's here, in Detroit. Must be an omen."_

******************

VLAM !! Ally violently slammed the door behind her. Something…she needed to throw something. First she took the cushions placed on her bed. After being done with them, she began shouting : "The bastard ! He didn't even talk. He doesn't give a fuck about me !…" Slowly, her words became less and less audible and turned into silent tears. "Why ?……why?"

_I can think of younger days when living for my life_

_Was everything a man could want to do_

_I could never see tomorrow,_

_but I was never told about the sorrow_

She knelt down by her bed and cried there one, two hours……all the time it took her to let out her pain.

_And how can you mend a broken heart?_

_How can you stop the rain from falling down?_

_How can you stop the sun from shining?_

_What makes the world go round?_

How can you mend this broken man? 

_How can a loser ever win?_

_Please help me mend my broken heart and let me live again_

It was to call Renee that Ally got up, still sniffling, and took her cell.

"Renee ?"

"Hi, Ally ! It's good to hear you." Then she perceived a sob at the end of the line. "What's wrong, anything happened ?"

"Sort of," she sniffled. "I'm in Detroit."

"In Det- what ?

"That's a long story."

"You know, I have time. Tell me."

And Ally told her. They spent one hour on the phone talking about all and nothing. Ally learnt that Renee was really doing fine and that she may be allowed to return in Boston in a few months. When she hanged up, she was happy : her best friend and roommate would be back soon. She took a look at her watch : 4 p.m. "Raymond's waiting for me !!" They had to prepare Julian's examination and he was certainly expecting her to show up in his room. Three minutes later, she was knocking on his door.

"Sorry, I know it's late but something came up. I had no choice."

"It's okay, come in." He sat at a table where a bunch of papers were spread out in a total disorder. Pointing out another chair, he invited her to sit down next to him. "So, how did it went with Larry ?" he said distractively, still reading his papers.

"We-we didn't talk. In fact, He didn't talk. Me, I shouted, scream, made a fool of myself…the usual."

"If you kept throwing your hands in the air like you're doing now I can easily picture that !" He said in a laugh.

"Don't make fun of me, Raymond. It's the last thing I need from you."

"Right now, the only thing we have to be concerned about is the case. Ally, I know it's difficult for you but you have to try to get the upper hand again. Use your knowledge in court. Show him you're not the weak between the two of you, I'm sure you'll feel better."

"I don't know," Ally wasn't sure if attacking him was good idea. "declaring war isn't my type."

"Ally, you know how to oppose him in court. You still want to beat him ? Here's your chance. You've got nothing to lose. Focus on the case, you'll focus on your relationship with Larry after the verdict. 

A small smile appeared on her lips. "He would never handle me beating him……You're right. Let's just work on the case." Then, something crossed her mind : "A propos I thought of something for Emma's testimony : we could lead her into admitting that she was fully aware of Julian's eventual reaction .And if we can prove that, she would be the one to blame for all that happened.

"Hey, good idea. You're smart sometimes, did you know that ?"

"Yep, it doesn't hurt to hear it !"

They worked in to a good ambiance until eight, and Ally was literally starving.

"Wanna eat something? There's a restaurant near a few blocks away from here."

"I won't say no." Ally stood up and locked into her pockets : "Oh, no. Wait, I forgot my cell in my room."

"You don't need it, we're not leaving the country !" Raymond always hated cell phones. He knew it was a way to join people every hours of the day -and night- and he hated the idea of being disturbed at anytime.

"In fact, I do. Coretta's supposed to call me tonight."

"Okay, so we'll stop by your room." he granted.

Her cell was on her nightstand, indicating she had a message. "You see ! I told you, I've got to call her back now." she grumbled.

"Just listen to the message !! She's probably telling you everything's fine in Boston."

"Okay…"

_"Nw message, received today at 5.10 pm. Hi, Ally. It's Larry .I uh…I truly think we need to talk. Maybe we can have lunch tomorrow, before the testimonies. Um…anyway, I wait for your call. My cell's number is the same. Biiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiip" _Ally was frozen. She surely didn't expect that one.

"So, how are things in Boston ?"

"What ?"

"Coretta, what did she say ?"

"Um, wh-…um, it wasn't Coretta."

"Then ,who...?"

"Larry," she lashed out quickly " he want us to have lunch tomorrow."

"What are you gonna do ?"

"I've been waiting for him to make the first move. The answer is easy…and nevertheless scary : we have a lot of things to clarify." She took a deep breath and exhale noisily. "I'm gonna call him."

"Ally, did I warn you that we were in the middle of a trial ? You ought to cool it off. No more confusion is necessary. I need you in this 110%, and you seem too distracted by this whole 'Larry issue'."

"Raymond, I don't expect your full comprehension, but it's very important to me. I have to talk to him. I wanna get rid of all those Great Unspoken with Larry. And I can promise you that it won't affect my work on this case. Trust me, please." She made those puppy eyes he couldn't resist to.

"Well, it's not like I had a choice but…I'm okay with it. Call him." He sat on her bed.

"Raymond ?"

"Yeah, what ?"

"I think I need some privacy."

"Right, I'll wait for you in the entrance hall."

Alone, at least. _Wait, what's his number ? Stupid Ally ! You know it by heart, just compose it. Don't be chicken._

"Larry Paul."

"Um, hi !…it's Ally."

"Ally ! I never thought you would call, I supposed that after this morning…" 

"Yeah, I was a little cruel, not that I take back what I said , I still mean it. But I didn't have to be that brutal, sorry. So you want to have lunch tomorrow ?" she said all in a breath.

"You still run on sentences, Ally."

"What can I say : I'm still do that when I'm nerv- , I mean when…never mind."

"Actually, we can get together at this quiet place I know : the Roman Arch .It's a little restaurant. "

"It sounds good. Well , I guess I'll see you there tomorrow. 1 p.m. ?"

"Done."

"Okay ,then…"

"Ally ?" 

"Yeah ?" she pronounced in an hopeful tone.

"…Nothing. See you tomorrow, bye."

"Bye." She hung up. "_Wow, I've just accepted a date with Larry !! Not a date exactly, we will mostly enlighten some points of our relationship, but still…I can already feel the butterflies growing in my stomach."_

**End of part two**


	4. lunch, confrontations and a trial

Hey, guess what ?……I'm back !! I wrote these chapters a long time but due to my lack of enthusiasm, I didn't really feel like posting them. Now you tell me what you think of it.

Review, please, it will help me get my muse back.

I already wrote a sequel to this story but I left it unfinished. I need your opinion…and encouragement.

Now enjoy !

Chapter three

The next morning, Ally is with Coretta on the phone : " No, I didn't really punch him, though I really wanted to !!"

_" And you're seeing him today ? Lunch time ?"_

"Yeah, it feels a little weird. "

_"I understand, you two sort of go on a date. You feel like going back 5 months from now ."_

"No, not at all ! I'm here to explain things. By the way, do I have to recall you he's opposing council ? I'm against him in court."

"…Doesn't mean he's the enemy , Ally. Admit it, you've been longing for this to happen. It's been 5 months. And now, you'll finally have all you answers." She paused, hesitating on what to say. "And   maybe more."

"What are you implying by that ?"

_"Don't play innocent with me. I give the two of you  three days before you get back together, in all terms."_

"First, don't be gross. Second, what makes you believe I'll go right back in his arms ? I'm the one who dumped him, remember ?"

"Yeah, and you're the one who bitterly regret it."

"It doesn't matter at the moment. Now I have to go, it's noon and I have to be at the restaurant in less than a hour. I'll call to let you know about the case. Bye ."  After ending the phone call, Ally laid down on her bed. Thinking about Larry, inevitably memories came back…

** "When I first met you, you struck me as a person who had maybe……forgotten how to love. And beloved. I mean, just spend six months with a guy, not even knowing why you were with him. Do you even remember what it's like……to be with somebody ?"

"What are you trying to say, Larry ?" 

"Maybe what you're afraid of……is what you don't know." **

** "You think I'm just gonna sit back and wait for you to get with the program? You might be afraid of all this Ally, but I'm... I'm  not."

"Larry, you've only seen the tip of the neurotic ice berg. I'm demented."

"What else?"

"Self-absorbed."

"What else?"

"Vain."

"What else?"

"Beautiful. That's a good thing."

"What else?"

"Maybe incapable of letting myself be loved."

"That we need to work on, then."

"Do you have any idea what you're getting yourself into? I'm afraid to trust it."

"Then we need to work on that too." **

** "I'm sorry I missed most of your birthday."

"Well you halfway made up for it."

"Halfway you think? Third of the way at best"

"Oh, big talker tonight ?"

"That's right. I love you Ally McBeal, happy birthday" **

_"…And now here I am, a year later, scared to death." _She sat up on her bed_. " Get yourself together Ally McBeal, and get out of that hotel room !!"_ As if thinking about Larry wasn't enough, an oh-so known song began playing in her head.

_I know something about love_

_You've gotta want it bad_

If that guy 's got into your blood 

_Go out and give him_

_If you want him to be a very part of you_

_Makes you want to breath_

_Here's the thing to do_

And she heard it all the way to the restaurant. 

_Tell him that you're never gonna leave him_

_Tell that you're always gonna love him_

_Tell him, tell him, tell him right now_

Then ,in front of "The Roman Arch", the tune scratched. She took a deep breath and pushed the door. Then she went over a waiter : "Hi, I made a reservation for 1 p.m."

"What name ?"

"McB- …Paul."

"Paul……table 7, right over there."

When she saw him, her heart raced. He got up and instinctively kissed her on the cheek. _"Oh my God……he has to stop this or I won't be able to keep control of myself."_ She backed off a little. Feeling he had embarrassed her made him even more uncomfortable :

"Sorry, I didn't mean to…"

"I know, I know."

"Ally, you can sit down."

"What ? Oh, yeah." She blushed, clearly uneasy.

"Do you want something to drink ?"

"No thanks. I'm fine."

"So, where do you want to begin ?"

"How about an explanation ?" she put her purse on the table and crossed her arms. "And don't give me that 'I'm a failure' crap. It can't be the only reason."

Larry took off his glasses and began cleaning them. She obviously wasn't going to make it easier for him. "Ally, can I ask you something ?"

"I'd prefer you to answer my question first, but go ahead."

"What are you doing in Detroit ?"

"Isn't that obvious ?" she was incredulous.

"… I mean 'with him' : Raymond Millbury."

"I'm second chair on this case. He needed help, so…" Ally didn't know what to say. If she didn't lie, she would have to admit she took charge of this case to see him.

"I saw you with him in the park on Sunday. The two of you  looked awfully coz-"

"You saw me and didn't even come up to say hello ?" Ally was perplexed.

"First I thought I had taken another person for you, but when I realized it was really you, you were gone. " He was now nervously squeezing his napkin. "Is it serious with Raymond ?"

Ally was thunderstruck : " What did you say ? Me and Raymond ? I can't believe that you actually deduced that we were…dating." She suddenly came to a realization. "Is that why you called me : you're jealous ? 'God, she's moving on, I want her back.' What kind of reaction is that ?" her voice rose. "I couldn't expect more from a teenager, Larry. And that's what you are. I actually thought you'd have grown up ! But no, silly me. Things haven't changed." She stood up and began to walk away. 

This time Larry took hold of her arm : "Ally don't run away, please. I'm sorry if I jumped to conclusions, but when it comes to you…I-I can't think straight." 

Ally's expression softened and for a second she pictured throwing herself at him. But she roughly replied : " I am not running away, that's your thing. Now let go off my arm! I'll see you in court."

That's what he did, he let her go no matter how painful it was. He thought for a moment about what happened. "What did I say ?"

_Someone tell me why _

_I do the things that I don't wanna do_

_When you're around me I'm somebody else_

_Someone tell me why_

_I act like a fool when things don't go my way_

Where you 're around me I'm somebody else 

_There's good reason I guess_

_Having once gone too far_

_When you clean out the hive_

_Does it make you want to cry _

_Are you still being followed by the teenage FBI_

_Someone tell me why_

_Someone tell me why…_

"I guess we'll meet in court " he muttered to himself.

******************

Later in the afternoon, at the courthouse. Emma's testimony has began and Larry directs the examination : 

"Miss Matthews, how long you and the defendant have been together ?"

"Two years."

"Engaged ?"

"For six months."

"Could you tell us what happened a week from now."

"Julian, my fiancé, burnt my Jaguar."

"Did you do anything that could have triggered that kind of reaction ?"

"Four days before the wedding, I left."

"What do you mean by that ?"

"Oh, I didn't break up with him ! I just needed some space, so I called a friend and asked If I could come over for a few days.

"What resulted from that ?"

"Two days later, I got back home and found my car burnt in front of the alley. It was exposed there like a trophy."

"Where was Julian ?"

"Waiting for me. When I came over him, he grabbed my arm and began shaking me while repeating "why, why ?" He was scaring me. That's when he became verbally abusive, using demeaning terms."

"Do you think he could have hit you ?"

"OBJECTION !!" Ally jumped off her hear, almost causing it to fall. "The plaintiff statement is a pure conjecture, irrelevant in that case." Satisfied, Ally gave him a 'watch out, Mr. Paul. I'm gonna get you' look.

"Sustained. You may change your question, Mr. Paul."

"So, Miss Matthews what passed through your mind at the moment ?"

"I was terrified. I tried to talk to him, cam him down but he kept yelling at me, accusing me of cheating on him. I asked about the car and he said that I deserved it, that it was all my fault."

"What did you decide for the wedding ?"

"I called it off. Julian was clearly violent and I couldn't marry someone who's paranoid !"

"Objection ! The witness can't possibly value the defendant's health. I don't seem to recall that she has a medical grade for that." She looked at the judge intently, searching for her approval.

"Sustained : Miss Matthews, don't use medical terms."

Larry was getting annoyed, Ally was visibly trying to break his rhythm, something she was very good at these times. "May I resume ,your honor ?"

"You may, Mr. Paul "

" Thank you, so you called it off ? What about the ceremony ?"

"Everything was ready , so I had to pay for it. I was emotionally devastated but I had to take care of it because Julian told me he didn't wanna hear a single word about it."

"No more questions, your honor."

Ally walked over the witness stand where Emma was sitting. " What happened four days before the wedding ?"

"I've already said it : I left for a few days."

"You left. Did you even tell Julian you were leaving ?"

"…no."

"You just …disappeared ?"

"Objection, your honor ! The defense is making up the answer and doesn't leave a chance to the witness to reply."

"Sustained. Rephrase Miss Mcbeal."

"Could we say that you left Julian with no indices about where you were ?"

"Yes."

"Did he had a way to contact you ?"

"No, I didn't take my cell with me."

"So, for two whole days he didn't know where his fiancée was ?"

"Yes." She reluctantly admitted.

"Do you think that he could have considered any possibility, such you being hurt somewhere and alone ?"

"It could be possible."

"You said you visited a friend. Could you tell us your relationship with him ?

"He is……an ex-boyfriend."

"So, four days before the ceremony, Mr. Dawn finds out you're missing, then learns that you're staying at an ex-boyfriend's. Two days later, you finally come back and tell him you were having doubts. Tell us now, how did you expect him to react ?

Larry knew where Ally was going : "Objection ! Accumulating facts no-"

"The defense's finished. No more questions." And without expecting an answer from Emma, she got back to her place and didn't even look at Larry.

"Are there other witnesses ?"

Raymond stood up :"The defense was expecting to call Mr. Pireman who hosted Miss Matthews for two days." Larry raised an eyebrow : this was something he wasn't prepared for.  The judge nonetheless agreed to hear the witness. Sensing that Ally was equipped for it, he motioned for her to go on.

"Mr. Pireman," she began "you're acquainted with the plaintiff, right ?"

"Yes."

"What kind of relationship did you use to have?"

"We'd been involved for over a year, four years from now. She's a close friend."

"What happened on the day Emma came to your house ?"

"she was extremely agitated. She was on the edge of calling it off. We talked about it and a few days later, she was serene. She had forgotten about her insecurities."

"Did you do something to emphasize Mr. Dawn's anxiety ?"

"No."

" I mean, like calling him ?"

"Yes, I did actually, but-" Larry didn't like the turn of the examination : Ally knew something he didn't and was about to break it in front of the jury. 

"Could you tell us exactly what did you say ?"

"I told him Emma was with me to reassure him, and that she was quite upset. But then, Emma came in the room and I hung up abruptly. I was doing this behind her back and I didn't want her to believe that I betrayed her."

"That's all you said : 'She's with me, looking upset' ?"

"Yes, it mostly sounded like that."

"So it was possible for Mr. Dawn to get the wrong idea and think that his fiancée was getting back with you, knowing the two of you were alone for two whole days."

"Maybe, I'm not sure."

"That would be all." She turned round and while walking back to her table, she flashed Larry a mocking sneer. What was her surprise when he stood up and totally unprepared, cross-examined   the witness.

"You said she's a close friend."

"Yes."

"One of your best friends ?"

Yes."

Knowing Larry was onto something, Ally didn't think twice and objected with no basis. Seeing the frustrated look that Larry sent her persuade her to stay quiet.

"Overruled, you may pursue Mr. Paul."

"Assuming that she's one of your best friends, wasn't it in a natural way that she came to you to talk about a rough time she was going through ?"

"Entirely."

"Did she had something else in mind, other than her cold feet case ?"

"No, she was having second thoughts and I was a good ear."

"That's all ?"

"That's all."

"Thank you, Mr. Pireman."

"Any redirect ?" the judge asked.

"The defense rests, your honor." Raymond replied.

The judge declared court adjourned and scheduled Julian's testimony for the next day at 4p.m.

*************************************************************************************

"What can I say ? You were remarkable in court today ! What happened at lunch ?"

"Larry slightly got me on my nerves and there's no better way than antagonizing me to turn me into a real persecutor."  

Raymond laughed. He and Ally were at the bar, relaxing after the hearing of Emma.  "Well, keep it that way and we may have a chance to win."

She was dubious . "What do you mean ?"

"Didn't you look at him ? He was totally taken aback ! You wanted to weaken him and you've succeeded. We have to use that in court. I'll let you deal with Julian's testimony tomorrow." He got back into his papers, looking very absorbed in the reading of a letter.

"Is that wise ?"

Not looking at her, he answered :"I trust you. I'm sure you'll do your best."

"I mean, I fear that things might become personal in front of the judge. It will certainly take away all our credibility."

Suddenly interested, he raised his head and asked :"Personal. In which way ?"

"First, there are some similarities between this case and my relationship with Larry. You see, he's representing the one who ran away, like he did. Emma's asking for damages but she doesn't even consider that Julian suffered as well, maybe even more." She was now fighting against tears. "Moreover, Emma didn't say why she left. A case of cold feet ? It must be true, but there was something else to catch from that." She played nervously with her bottom lip. "She was reconsidering her feelings for Julian." She couldn't bring herself to say the other alternative, "……perhaps she had stopped loving him."

"What's the similarity with you and Larry in that statement ?"

She played with the straw of her cocktail for a long time, then said : "I'm afraid that's the reason  why Larry walked away. He had simply stopped loving me."

Taking her hand in his, he sympathetically comforted her : "I'm sure it's nothing like that."

"How do you know ?"

"Because the guy would be the biggest ass on Earth."

It made her laugh but she replied melancholically : "Sometimes, he really is……"

*************************************************************************************

The following day, it was Julian's turn to be examined.

" Julian, what did you do when you found out Emma was missing ?"

"First, I thought she was taking a walk : her car was parked in front of the house."

"She didn't leave anything that could reveal where she went ?"

"No."

"Not even a note ?" She glanced at Larry, waiting for a reaction. Nothing, he remained inexpressive.

"No."

"You didn't call any of her acquaintances ? Maybe you'd just forgotten she was sleeping at a friend's ?"

"On the morning I called her parents, her colleagues. But when I saw that at 11p.m. she wasn't home, I got very worried."

"Did you assume that she had ran away from you, afraid of the upcoming wedding ?"

"Objection !! The defense is putting ideas in the witness' mind."

Ally knew he was right but it didn't keep her from reacting : "Look who's talking, Mr. 'I'm afraid of commitment' !"

"All-, um Miss McBeal. I don't thing it's relevant to tal-"

"Whatever !!" she hissed and turned back to Julian. Noticing the silence that had gotten into the room,  she looked up at the judge. Her arms crossed, she asked fiercely :

"Are we bothering you, Miss McBeal ? You may want to continue this interesting conversation outside ?"

_"Oh, oh…"_ Ally had just became conscious she was examining a witness. She rapidly peered at Raymond : he was covering his face with his hands. _"He's gonna kill me."_ she thought. "I beg your pardon, your honor. It won't happen again. May I start over ?"

"Not without rephrasing your question : objection sustained."

"What did you deduce from the situation on Monday evening ?"

"I was afraid that Emma had changed her mind. She had never left before without telling me first. I even thought she had been kidnapped ! At least, until I got a call from a former lover."

"Could you tell us about it ?"

"It was around ten in the morning. I hadn't left the house, expecting a call from her. I was intrigued and worried when it turned out to be her ex."

"How did you react ?"

"Well, first I was relieved in a way. In a way. Then, the relief to know she was safe quickly fade out. I was confused. Three days before my wedding, everything was leading me to believe that my fiancée was back with her ex."

"And after that you burnt her car ?

"I spent more than three hours on the porch steps, thinking. The more I thought, the more it hurt. The more it hurt, the angrier I got. Seeing that she wasn't coming back, I deduced we were over……and I burnt her jaguar."

"Why the car ?"

"As I said it before, it was parked in front of the house, in the alley. While sitting on the steps, I stared at it. By 5p.m. I was going crazy, I had to do something. Next thing I knew, her car was in flames."

"Do you regret it ?"

"Of course, I do !! I felt regrets from the minute I saw the result of my crisis. I collapsed in tears next to the car. I couldn't understand how I could have done that. I wasn't myself."

Ally was finished and Larry walked over Julian. He looked intently at him then began :

"Mr. Dawn, do you know why we're here ?"

"Yes, becau-"

"Just answer the question by 'yes' or 'no', would you do that ?" Julian nodded. "Did you ever doubt of Emma being faithful ?"

"No, not until…"

"Yes or no ?"

"No."

"Weren't you terrified at the idea of forever ?"

"Yes."

"Was is possible for Emma to share the same fear ?"

"Yes."

"So you're allowed to have second thoughts but not her ?"

"I didn't say that !"

"Let's talk about the car. Did you know that This car was priceless?"

"Yes, like most Jaguar."

"I mean as a gift from her father who died years ago."

"Yes."

"Did you really think you two would make up after what you did ?"

"Yes…no."

"Now tell me : who caused harm ?"

"We've both been hurt, Mr. Paul. It's not like we can compare."

"If I got everything right, you go from anxiety to madness ? Does that even make sense ?"

"Perhaps not, but I wasn't thinking straight, I loved her and I needed to know she was hurting as much as I did." 

"Looks like you succeeded. You thought attacking her materially would ease your pain ?"

"Not really."

"You saw the car and knew it was a way to get back at her, admit it !"

"No, I-"

"You'd be ready to swear your weren't aware of the consequences ? You're under oath, Julian."

"I……was." Julian conceded.

"OBJECTION ! The prosecution's badgering the witness. The jury mustn't rely on this statement. It's the result of Mr. Paul's assault." Larry had gone too far. He led Julian into admitting something he never thought of and that, she couldn't accept it.

"Sustained. The members of the jury won't take note of it."

"Julian. Sincerely tell us what were your intentions towards Emma when she would come back."

"I wanted her to tell me why, why me ? What did I do to her ? Why didn't she tell about her hears. We could have work things out. But apparently I wasn't the right person." Larry was deeply touched by Julian's response. Ally could have blame him for the same reasons. Shaken, he took a few moments to recompose himself and pursued :

"I understand your questioning, but do you burn the car of each person that upsets you ?

"Of course not, it was different with Emma."

"In which way ?"

"I trusted her !! She went behind my back with another man , damnit !"

"It was a supposition. You presumed she had betrayed you but you guessed wrong. Nothing happened. Now, I'll ask you again : why are we here ?" Julian remained silent. "I'll say it : you were jealous. This case has nothing to do with anxiety. You blew a fuse because you were jealous."

"Obj-" Larry raised an excellent point. Jealousy and despair, that's what led tricked Julian into this.

"I'm finished with the witness."

After Larry's brilliant examination, the judge dismissed them and announced the closing arguments for Friday at a.m. so that both sides would profit from a whole day to rest.

The judge banged his gavel and Ally quickly exited the courtroom, she for sure didn't want to confront Larry another time. She had already proven in public that she was nuts, it was enough for the day. She got into the elevator her head down, searching for her cell in her purse. As you might expect it, she bumped into someone, almost knocking him on the floor.

"Hey, careful !"

Confounded, Ally immediately apologized :"I beg your pardon, I didn't….." But then she saw who she was talking to : the biggest ass on earth, Larry.

"I accept your apologies, Ally. I- "

"I take them back ! You don't deserve them……Mr. Paul !"

"Seriously Ally, if we could stop playing games, it would be a hell of a lot easier. For both of us." 

"You did start this stupid game !"

"Ally…" He reached out to grab her hand but she backed away.

"Don't touch me ! That is just like you, Larry Paul. Representing the cowards !"

Raymond wanted to remind them they were in an elevator and people were attentively listening. He cut in : "Ally, maybe now isn't the right time."

"You, stay out it !!" Larry spit back. " This is between her and me." Larry was earnestly getting annoyed of Raymond's presence.

"That's where you're wrong, Larry !" she shouted, pointing her finger at him. "This is between you and your irrational fears. : not good at goodbyes, not better at hellos…it's always been about you and you know that !"

A sound stopped her : they'd reached the entrance hall. She stepped out of the elevator and noticed Raymond wasn't following . She whirled around and yelled : "And what is taking you so long ?"

Nonplused by this exchange, Larry watched her disappearing in the crowd. Again.

End of Chapter Three 


	5. closing arguments, the decision

_Hey, guess what ?……I'm back !! I wrote these chapters a long time ago but due to my lack of enthusiasm, I didn't really feel like posting them. Now you tell me what you think_

_Review, please, it will help me get my muse back_

_I already wrote a sequel to this story but I left it unfinished. I need your opinion…and encouragement._

_Now enjoy !!_

Chapter four

Thursday October  19th. Ally and Raymond are still in Detroit. One day left before the closing arguments.

"Maybe I should do it, Ally. You proved yesterday that you were too affected by this case."

"I warned you. You're the one who insisted ……"

"I know but I never realized how much it upset  you."

"Okay, tomorrow I'll just sit at our table and listen."

"And behave. No more outburst in court."

"I'll try…" she replied with malicious grin.

*************************************************************************************

"Mistaken appearances : that's all it took for Mr. Dawn to figure out that his soon-to-be-wife was cheating on him. Miss Matthews wasn't reconsidering her feelings, she just need to back off. Okay, it happened a few days before the wedding ceremony, but is that a reason ?

You can call her a materialist but the fact is she suffered emotionally from the loss of her car. It was one of her belongings to which she attached a special significance.

Assuming she was wrong, leaving without warning. Mr. Dawn is still the one to blame for what happened. She had worked things out with herself and was ready to spend her life with him. And what did she see ? An aggressive person she didn't even recognize. 

I once made the same mistake…" Ally raised her head and looked at him in wonder. Things had become personal. "…I left, afraid I would fail. I let my cowardice destroy the most important thing in my life. Expect that I'm responsible for that,  'cause I never came back." Larry turned to the jury and pointed at Emma. "She did and her only reward was pain and suffering. Mr. Dawn was perfectly aware of the consequences of his acts. He did it deliberately and has to pay for what he put her through. There's no escape from that and I'm sure you understand."

Larry sat back next to his client, peering at Ally. She was taking notes and looked very absorbed. It's a shame he didn't get to read her mind : _"Try and focus on something…a paper !That's it, I have to write……he did mention he did a mistake, he gave up on 'the most important thing in his life'. Was it me ?Does that mean he's sorry for what he did ?"_

Raymond began his closings : "Picture yourself four days before your own wedding. You're excited and terrified at the  same time, you make a mountain out of nothing. To be brief : all your emotions are emphasized. Now try to picture Mr. Dawn. He wakes up and find out that the main character of the ceremony is missing. You can't blame him for panicking ! Now imagine you get a call from an ex who tells you your fiancée is with him, visibly in an unstable state of mind. What are you led to believe ? " Raymond intentionally  put the accent on those last words.           " Aren't you allowed to overreact ? Mr. Dawn was an emotional wreck by the time he received the phone call. And the car was at the wrong place, at the wrong time. It could have been anything else. His own car, for example. He didn't do it on purpose. He might have to pay for the wedding charges, but he can't be sued for anything else. He wasn't in his at the time he set the car on fire. 

Love is blind, everybody knows that. But we don't often don't realize that love makes blind. Mr. Dawn experienced it." Raymond stood there for a moment, before adding to the jury : "He has already lost too much, don't make him lose his dignity."

Ally heard  the traditional 'bang' of the judge and they were now waiting for the verdict. From Raymond estimations, they wouldn't have to wait too long, maybe the next day.

"My wallet is now in their hands." Said Julian sarcastically.

"I honestly hope the jury will sympathize with your pain, 'cause personally I do."

"Thank you, Ally."

"See you later." She took her briefcase and left. Raymond was planning on visiting his family and was already on his way, so that she was alone by the time she'd reached the steps of the courthouse. She was waiting for a cab when she noticed Larry sitting on the steps. He got and walked over her : 

"Before you say anything : I have an important thing to tell you. Concerning us."

"I'm waiting."

"Um, not here. We could take a walk ? There's a park a few blocks away. We'll buy something  to eat on the way and go there."

"Larry, I don't know…"

"Please.." he added in a beseeching tone, a half smile on his lips. Ally could never resist to that and Larry knew it.

"Alright, let's go then." 

Like Larry said, they stopped on their way to the park and bought take-away food. Ten minutes later , the two of them where sitting on a bench,  eating in an awkward silence. Larry finally spoke : 

"How's everyone in Boston ?"

"Do you really care ?" she asked, suspicious.

"Of course, tell me."

"Well, a lot has changed since… " she paused, looking for the right word "…your departure. Richard hired two lawyers."

"And Raymond Millbury ?"

"Oh, he's Glenn's best friend." Seeing that Larry was lost, she explained :"Glenn is one of the new lawyer of the firm. Raymond needed a job and you know, Richard and money…"

"I get that."

And for about an hour, they talked that way : about their work, the changes at Cage and Fish, the different cases they took charge of…but they kept avoiding the main subject that neither Ally nor Larry wanted to bring up.

"And how's doing that little boy of yours ?"

Larry's face was beaming with pride : " Sam turned eight ! I had the bad idea to allow him to organize a big party in my apartment. The day after it as like a hurricane came into the living room!"

"I see…"

"Ally," Larry felt uneasy. He had already cleaned his glasses twice and the words just couldn't get out. Noticing the anxious look in Ally's eyes help him summoning the courage he had left. " I have to tell you something. It happened in May…Wanna walk a little ?"

"Okay."

They walk through the park for a while, being close to Larry actually felt good and Ally couldn't break the silence. She knew Larry had to do it by himself. He took off his glasses once more and put them in his pocket.

"Ally, I've always believed in omens. Last May, I got trapped. Do you remember that romantic dinner I planned for us ?"

"Yes, why ?"

"Something went wrong that night. I, uh…"

"Go ahead. What happened ?"

"I ordered a fruit cobbler, remember ?"

"Yes, and I recall the strange look on your face when I eat it." The memory of that night pinched her heart.

"The reason why I was acting so strange was that…..there were supposed to be a ring in it."

Ally's face fell : "A ring, wh-what, why ?"

"I was planning to propose." He let out in one breath.

"You what ?" Ally breathed for air, this was something she had never thought of. _"propose ?"_  She became pallid and Larry quickly took hold of her.

"Ally, are you feeling okay ?"

She didn't responded right away. "Me ? Oh, I'm just…s-"

"Stunned ?"

"Shocked would be more appropriate."

"I know I should have told you……but I already had hurt you so much. Telling you that would have caused you more pain."

"Why ? Why did you leave ?"

"You dumped me, remember that ?"

"You were having lunch with your ex behind my back! What was that supposed to mean ?"

"I called Helena to talk about you. I thought that the failed proposal was an omen. Knowing she would help me, we had lunch : that's when you arrived with John and dump ice cream on my head. Helena was convincing me to tell you everything and propose again."

"And what kept you from doing that ?"

"You broke up with me and it knew it was over. I didn't leave for Detroit the same day. I picked up the phone a thousand time to call you. But I was afraid."

"Afraid of what, Larry ?"

"You !!"

"Oh, no ! you're not going to put the blame on me, Larry Paul. It's all your fault. You go from marriage to busting up ?"

"That's exactly what Helena told m-"

"And she was right. You had to tell me what was really going on instead of running away. AGAIN."

"Well, it's not like you would have listened. You proved that you didn't trust me. What did you expect ? Were you ready too see forever with someone who didn't even trust you ?"

"no, of course not." She reluctantly confessed.

Larry stooped and turned to her. Gazing deeply in her eyes, he said : "I owed you the truth. For us." She was on the edge of crying. A tear slowly fell down her cheek. "Please, don't cry…it's not your fault." Gently, Larry wiped it away, caressing her cheek. Her tear turned into sods  and Larry opened his arms to her. She let him hold her, tenderly rubbing her back. "Shh, it's alright, Ally. Everything is going to be alright…"

"I missed you, Larry." She managed to say, wiping her tears with the back of her hand. "What happened to us ?" Larry disengaged himself from her and slowly lifted her chin, his eyes interrogating hers. He reached to take her hand in his and kissed her as their fingers slowly  intertwined.

_My love_

_There's only you in my life_

_The only thing that's right_

_My first love_

_You're every breath I take_

_You're every step I make_

_And I_

_I want to share all my love with you_

_No one else will do_

And your eyes they tell me how much you care 

_Oh, yes you'll always be my endless love_

As the kiss became more passionate, Larry grabbed her by the waist, tightening his embrace. They were finally letting their emotions rule.

_Two hearts_

_Two hearts that beat as one_

_Our lives have just begun_

_And forever I'll hold you close in my arms_

_I can't resist your charms_

_And I_

_I'd play the fool_

_For you, I'm sure_

_You know I don't mind_

_And yes_

_You mean the world to me_

_I know I've found in you my endless love_

Ally let out a small groan but pushed Larry away. Both were out of breath. "No, I can't do this again."

"I'm sorry, I got carried away."

"Don't be sorry, Larry. I'm not blaming you. It's just that…it's not a way to resolve things. I came here for an answer, now I've got it.

"You must hate me right now."

"Believe me, I've tried ! But actually I'm more sad than angry. Look at us : how pathetic we are! We threw us away for what ? You were right in your closings. It was all about mistaken appearances."

"So…?"

"So, I don't know. I think I should go back to my hotel and mope a little, I mean 'rest' a little. I'm still absorbing the fact that we were almost engaged and it's quite confusing."

"I understand. Where are you staying ?"

"What?"

"Your hotel."

"Oh, the St Regis."

"Do you want me to walk you there ?"

"Thank you but I'm a big girl !" she tried a half smile.

"Right. Still we can walk in the park, it's not late. I just want to feel you near."

Without responding, Ally took his and they resume their walk, her head resting on his shoulder. From the outside, they looked like any of those happy couples, walking hand in hand unaware of the world surrounding them. And in a way, they were.

******************

It was way past seven when Ally got back to her hotel. She and Larry kind of lost track of time. Exhausted and emotionally drained, she threw herself on the bed and fell asleep.

*************************************************************************************

A loud bang woke her up with a start. It took her a few minutes before realizing someone was knocking with insistence on her door. She got up, grumbling, ready to bite the stranger's head off.

"What the he- …Raymond ? What are you doing here, do you know what time…?"

"I got a call from Larry."

"A call, why ?"

"We're due in court this afternoon for the verdict, 2p.m." Noticing her sleepy face and her clothes, he added "Late night ? You didn't even change."

Fearing the answer, Ally asked cautiously : "What time is it, Raymond ?"

"1p.m, why ?"

"What day ?"

"Ally, are you sure you're okay ?"

"What day ?!"

"Saturday."

"Oh, shit !! I fell asleep…"

"I already got that."

"I have to take a shower and dress. When- ?"

"In less than an hour."

"Okay, meet you in court." And she shut the door.

******************

On her way to the courthouse, Ally was thoughtful. She kept reminiscing a dream she had the previous night : she was in her hotel room, reading, when suddenly the intro of 'I belong to you' began playing in the background.

_You are the flame in my heart_

_You light my way in the dark_

_You are the ultimate star_

_You lift me from up above_

_Your unconditional love_

_Takes me to paradise_

There was a knock on her door. Surprised, she would get up and open the door to find : nothing.

"Never mind, I guess. I don't even like Lenny Kravitz. Even so, what does it mean ?" A passer-by looked at her in wonder : she didn't realize she was talking in a loud voice. "What are you looking  at?" She startled him.

"No-nothing."

"Then go your way !" He did so 'cause when Ally's pissed, you better hide.

The rest of the way was pretty calm so  that Ally was almost in a good mood when she'd reached her destination. Unfortunately, she was late and everybody was already inside. She quickly entered the room and sat next to Raymond. "Glad you made it ! " he whispered, dryly.

"Has the jury reached a verdict ?"

"We have, your honor."

"What say you ?"

"In the matter of Matthews versus Dawn, on the charge of emotional distress and material injury, we find in favor of the plaintiff. And we order the defendant to pay damages in the amount of $ 70.000,00 for the car. He also has to pay half of the charges of the ceremony.

"Ladies and gentlemen, this conclude your service.  We're adjourned."

Everybody got up and so did Ally, she hugged Julian. She truly felt happy for him  : this verdict meant the jury didn't buy the emotional distress thing.

"So, relieved ?"

"Well, I still have to pay $ 70.000,00."

Raymond cut him off :"Julian, it's the best verdict we could expect. We didn't win on the papers, but speaking of money, it's a victory. Do you get that ?"

"Yes, I guess."

Suddenly, the room went dark for Ally and she lost balance. Raymond caught her in time before she fell and sat her on a chair. "Hey, what's wrong ?"

"I'm feeling a little dizzy." She faintly replied. "Must be the skipped meals."

"Well done ! You didn't even eat something before coming ?"

"Since when do I call you Dad ? I don't need a lecture."

"I can see that you still have resources !!" he joked. "Can you walk ?"

"Of course, I'm not dead yet !" she tried to get up but her legs went weak.

"Okay, let me help you. Slid your arm behind my neck. Here." She did what he said and he supported her by the waist. "Let's go. We'll take a cab this time." To Julian : "I see you tonight." They exited the courtroom.

In the  meantime, Larry managed to get rid of his client. She wasn't satisfied with the  verdict and wanted to appeal. It was the least of his concerns at the moment. By the time he'd talked her out of it, Ally was nowhere to be found…once more.

******************

"Feeling any better ?"

"Yeah, I just needed to eat. I'm okay."

"Sure ?"

"Really. Thank you."

"It's nothing, saving the damsel in distress…that's me !"

"Raymond…"

"I was kidding. I'm gonna leave and let you have some rest. Don't forget to pack : the flight's tomorrow morning at nine."

"Got it. Oh, and don't forget to tell Julian I was glad to meet him. He's really sweet."

"I will. Cab will be waiting for us in front of the hotel at eight. Until then, take care."

Once alone, Ally laid on her bed and stared at the ceiling. She was fully awake and the food she eat earlier had given her whole strength back. "Get up and do something useful, you can't sleep anyway !" By seven o'clock, she had packed all her stuff. Satisfied, she left her room for the hotel restaurant. As she was locking her door, "the" song began playing.

_You are the flame in my heart_

_You light my way in the dark_

_You are the ultimate star_

_You lift me from up above…_

She turned around to face…nobody. _"God, I'm so stupid. It's just a song passing through my head. Nothing else."_

During her diner, Ally couldn't focus on what was in her plate. Her mind was somewhere else : Larry. She kept chewing things over and over : _"He wanted to propose, the ring ended up in the wrong fruit cobbler, I broke up, he  left. Wow, my life for the past six months sounds like a soap opera. And now ? Am I ready to start over ? I want to but I'm petrified : what if he leaves ? I can't live without him but Reason tells me I have to. God, I'm facing a big issue. When it comes to love, everything should be simple. Instead of that I'm sitting alone at a table, completely lost……and scared to death at both ideas of loving or losing him."_

Her monologue lasted for more than an hour. Looking at her watch, she noticed it was already half past nine. _"Time to go to bed when there's an early morning !"_ The elevator took her to her floor, and when she stepped out of it……

_I belong to you_

_And you_

_You belong to me too_

_You make my life complete_

_You make me feel so sweet_

Someone was standing by her door, and it wasn't Lenny. Her heart missed a beat when she recognized him.

"Larry ? How did you know that…?"

"You told me you were staying at the St Regis. Thought I'd stopped by."

_"Oh,"_ she thought, disappointed. _" He only came to say goodbye : at least he's able to say it face to face."_

"The truth is, I took some resolutions this afternoon."

"Which ones ?"

"Never wonder 'what if ?' " He took off his glasses and looked deeply into her eyes. " I love you , Ally. Maybe even more than before, and I wanted you to know that."

"Well, I-I don't know what to say…" she mumbled, trying to hold back the tears caused by his declaration. Larry smiled slightly : she used exactly the same sentence when he first told her he was in love with her.

"I couldn't let you go without knowing that." Stepping closer, he added : "And I wanted to do that." He leaned in and kissed her softly on the lips.

_You make me feel so divine_

_Your soul and mind are entwined_

_Before you I was blind_

_But since I've opened my eyes_

_And with you there's no disguise_

_So I could open up my mind_

Soon, the kiss got out of control and Ally found herself struggling with her key to open the door  while Larry was teasingly kissing the nape of her neck. The instant they entered the room, Ally pushed him against the door, and began undoing his tie. 

_I belong to you_

_And you_

_You belong to me too_

_You make my life complete_

Larry unbuttoned her blouse with urgency and soon he unlatched her bra, making her shivering at his touch. All of a sudden Ally couldn't wait any longer, she had to taste him, to feel him. She tore off his shirt and Larry didn't protest, he'd totally lost control.

_I always loved you from the start_

_But I could not figure out_

_That I had to do it everyday_

A tremor of pleasure run down her spine as she felt the warmth of his body pressed against hers. It's been so long since she touched him and still she knew how to please him. It  wasn't long before the two of them were both naked. Larry laid her gently on the bed and started kissing her everywhere, slowly exploring her body, causing her tom moan and arc her back. At this point, Ally didn't to waste time in foreplay, the urge to feel him inside of her was becoming to hard to handle.

_So I put away the fight_

_Now I'm gonna live my life_

_Giving you the most in every way_

"I can't take it anymore……Larry, make love to me." Hungry for each other, their reunion was passionate. They rapidly became one and therefore fell asleep in complete exhaustion, curdled up in each other's arms.

******************

"You're just too good to be true, can't take my eyes off of you…you'd be like heaven to touch, I wanna hold you so much…_God, she's so beautiful when she's sleeping. I want to stay like that forever_." 

Ally opened her eyes and smiled at the vision of Larry gently stroking her hair while singing. He, on his side,  simply couldn't stop staring at the amazing woman laying beside him.

"Hi."

"Hi, Mr. Larry." No more words were necessary. Ally snuggled up to him and he put his arms around her. _"It feels so good to be in his arms again. I want to stay like this forever."_

Minutes passed by and Larry finally broke the silence : "You don't regret it, do you ?"

She shut him up with a kiss. "No, I wanted it as much as you did."

"Good, I mean I'm not sure I'll be able to go on like nothing happened after that night." He paused then asked "What does the future hold for us, Ally ? What are we gonna do ?"

She stayed quiet. Tears began to form in her eyes, she abruptly had become conscious of the situation : she had a plane to catch a few hours later. _"What on earth am I supposed to tell him ?" _Forcing a smile, she replied "Let's not worry about tomorrow…" With a mischievous look, she finished her sentence :"…'cause right now, you're all mine and I plan to take advantage of that." She rolled on top of him and slowly planted kisses on his chest, going lower and lower.

"Okay, that's cheating !!" he said, giggling. "You know that I'm trying to have a serious conversation ?"

"Oh ?!" she pouted, "I had something else in mind…" She was now temptingly kissing him.

"I realized that. Now seriously : do we have a chance to  make it work this time and how ?"

Ally rested her head on his chest. "I don't know. First you'd have to clear things with Sam. If you come back to Boston, how will you manage to see him ? There's a lot to talk about before even reconsidering a future for us."

"You're right, I can't go on pretending like everything's fine with Sam's custody. I still have some major issues with Jamie about that.

"So you see what I mean ?"

"Yeah."

"And still, what assures me you'll  stay this time ? Larry, I would like to believe in us. It's just…the biggest step doesn't have to come from me. You're the one holding the keys in your hands. Just decide what you want to do with them."

Larry lifted her chin so that he could read her eyes. "And you'd trust me ?"

"If you don't give me reasons not to, I will."

"So it's a yes ?" She nodded. "I will overcome my fear of failure, Ally. I sometimes let that get in the way of letting you know how much you mean to me."

"Speaking of that…" Lovingly caressing his face, she continued : "I want you…to show me how much I mean to you. Now." And she kissed him. This time, Larry didn't pull away, he responded to her kiss by tightening his grip and once again their passion brought them to fullness.

******************

_"I shouldn't do that…this isn't me."_ While putting on her shoes, Ally took a look at the wonderful man asleep in her bed.

_It's daybreak and you are asleep_

_I can hear you breath now_

_Your breath is deep_

_But before I go_

_I look at you one last time_

_I can hear a heartbeat_

_Is it yours or is it mine ?_

_I look at your lips_

_I know how soft they can be_

_Did they know what they wanted the times they kissed me ?_

_I'll remember you_

_You will be there in my heart_

_I'll remember you_

_But that is all that I can do_

_But I'll remember you_

It was almost 8a.m. and soon  she would have to take her cab. She had chosen not to wake him  up 'cause she knew she wouldn't have the strength to tell him goodbye_. "Funny, months ago Larry felt the same way…"_ :

** "I can't handle goodbyes, okay? So just.... you can bare with me on this and just know that I love you and I'll be back.

"Okay."

"And I'll swing by on the way, you know.... just real quick, and then I'll, uh..... you know, I won't say goodbye. But I'll just –"

"Leave a note."

"Yeah. If I so much as look at you I'll never get on the plane." **

She didn't understand him at the moment. "I get that now." she whispered to herself.

_Your eyes that always make me shiver_

_Now they're closed_

_They just sometimes twitch a little_

_And your body I could own for an hour_

_It sent me to heaven with its heat and power_

She watched him a few more minutes, time for her to memorize his face, then she walked over the nightstand and placed there a letter.

_I'll remember you_

_You will be there in my heart_

_I'll remember you_

_But that is all that I can do_

_But I'll remember_

******************

When she got in the hall of the hotel, it was awfully noisy. She was still enveloped by the calm of her room and everything seemed sounded to be far away from her. Someone came up behind her and squeezed her shoulder. 

"Ready to go ?" Raymond was all smile and it kept her from falling apart.

"As ready as I can be."

"Let's go then.

On the way to the airport, Ally had that vacant look on her face. She didn't feel good about that 'letter thing', but she had to do it. Raymond broke her reverie : "We're arrived." They quickly entered the airport to find out that their flight was differed. 

"Great !" she sighed "Hope we won't have to wait too long.

"I'm gonna call Elaine. She was supposed to pick us up. "

******************

At the St Regis hotel, Larry began to stir and found Ally's side of the bed empty. "Ally ?" The room remained silent. He got up and went in search of her. She wasn't in the bathroom either. It became obvious that she had left. Devastated, he sat on the edge of the bed and through his forming tears, he distinguished a letter with his name on it. He took it and recognized Ally's handwriting. "She's leaving a note, just like me." Afraid of what it would say, it took several minutes before opening it. When he did, he couldn't hold back the tears and let them flow.

******************

_"Attention please, flight 5032 is now ready for boarding…"_

"Well, we didn't have to wait that long !" 

Still thoughtful, Ally acknowledged by a small "Yeah." Once on the plane, she  mentally recited the letter she'd written.

*****************

_"Larry,_

_You were right, it's not that easy to say goodbye. I didn't want to wake you so I thought a letter would be the best way to let you know how I feel. Once again, I found myself facing an issue : there are no words to describe my feelings for you. You're my everything, you make me complete. I've watched you sleeping and that song came to me :_

_Till my body is dust_

_Till my soul is no more_

_I will love you_

_Love you_

_Till the sun starts to cry_

_And the moon turns to rust_

_I will love you_

_Love you_

_But I need to know_

_Will you stay for all time_

_Forever and a day?_

_See ya ?_

_Ally"_

Larry cried, but these were tears of joy : Ally still loved him and was willing to start over. For once, all he had to do was trust it. Hell to omens. He was given a second and would work things out. She told him he had the keys…" I'm gonna do something right with them and I'm gonna make it, for her. For us."

******************

Ally was reading some magazines during the flight but couldn't concentrate on the words. They filed off without any signification. Her mind was set on Him : "It's up to you, Larry. Please don't blow it this time."

_And I'll give my heart_

_Till the end of our time _

_Forever and a day_

_And I need to know_

_Will you stay for all time_

_Forever and a day?_

_And I'll give my heart_

_Till the end of our time_

_Forever and a day_

_Till the stars fill my eyes_

_And we touch the last time_

_I will love you_

_Love you_

**The End …??**

**"Don't worry, the sequel is on the way. I'm really mean with the cliffhanger thing but it's only because I want you to let me know your opinion on this fic before I continue this (what I could change or add...). Since it's my first fic ever, I think that I can improve things for the sequel. So just review to tell me what you think of it, and I'll post the sequel in a few weeks :))"**


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